If you are experiencing pain due to a work injury, car accident injury, or sports-related injury, you may benefit from trigger point injections as a possible treatment option for your recovery.

Trigger points, the tender lumps in your muscles, are the primary cause of musculoskeletal pain such as back pain, neck pain, and shoulder pain. Unfortunately, they are often overlooked or ineffectively treated, leading to chronic and debilitating pain syndromes.

At CitiMedNY, pain physicians specialize in addressing muscle issues and offering trigger point injections. These injections are commonly administered by rheumatologists, pain management specialists, and doctors specializing in physical medicine and rehabilitation.

Furthermore, internists, family practice physicians, and neurologists at CitiMedNY also provide trigger point injection treatments.

“I found a professional trigger point therapist and went for my first treatment. I’ll never forget that first appointment. After nine long years of living with pain I was afraid that, yet again, I would be disappointed. Should I get my hopes up or should I guard myself against the letdown I was used to? I lay down on the treatment table and for an hour the therapist found spot after spot (trigger points) that when pressed replicated my pain. This therapist understood my pain, knew what caused it and knew how to get rid of it. Wow! – Work Cited Bourne, Erica. “Lemons into lemonade.” Erika’s Story, https://myofascialpaintreatment.com/.

What is Pain?

Pain is an uncomfortable feeling that can happen when your body is hurt or might get hurt. It can make you feel bad both physically and emotionally.

What Is Myofascial Pain?

• Typically described as a deep aching sensation, often with a feeling of stiffness in the involved area
• Pain that results from muscle injury or repetitive motion injuries
• Aggravated by use of the involved muscle(s), psychological stressors, anxiety, cold and postural imbalance
• A myofascial trigger point can cause tingling sensations that feel like the symptoms of a neck or lower back nerve problem.
• If you don’t use your muscles for a while, they can become weak, and this might make you feel tired, uncoordinated, and have trouble sleeping
• Patients with myofascial pain involving the neck and face muscles may experience symptoms of dizziness, tinnitus, and poor balance

Myofascial Trigger Points

You may have heard of the issue that people commonly refer to as muscle “knots,” but in the medical field, we know these as “trigger points.” Essentially, trigger points are tight groups of muscle fibers that can indeed feel like those tight knots you’ve mentioned.
It’s crucial to differentiate trigger points from cramps, like the ones experienced with a Charley horse. Cramps affect the entire muscle, while trigger points are specific tense areas within the muscle.

Trigger points can crop up in your muscles from various activities:

• Weightlifting
• strenuous exercise
• Stress
• sleeping in an awkward position

Often, they can be managed with some rest, ice, and a soothing massage. RICE.

According to the Mayo Clinic Sensitive areas of tight muscle fibers can form in your muscles after injuries or overuse. These sensitive areas are called trigger points. A trigger point in a muscle can cause strain and pain throughout the muscle. When this pain persists and worsens, doctors call it myofascial pain syndrome.

However, if these trigger points persist and refuse to go away with these conservative treatments, you might need some extra assistance in the form of a trigger point injection.

TREATMENT For TRIGGER POINT (TP)

Find the best doctors who perform Myofascial Trigger Point Injections in NYC, Brooklyn, The Bronx, Queens, Staten Island, Long Island, NY, and New Jersey. If Trigger Point Therapy is right for you, anyone of our pain management doctors will discuss the next step.

Most trigger points go away after one injection but may come back, depending on what caused them. That is especially true for trigger points from chronic pain conditions or repetitive motion. For recurring trigger points, you may need additional injections.
Injections are given in the doctor’s office or New York physical therapy clinic.

Trigger Point Injections

Now, let’s talk about trigger point injections. They provide immediate relief. These injections can be done with or without medication. Some call it dry needling, similar to acupuncture, where the needle itself interrupts nerve signals and muscle activity, providing relief.

However, many pain management physicians use injection medications known to alleviate the symptoms of trigger points and the associated pain.

Types of Trigger Point Injections

• Anesthetic (e.g., lidocaine)
  
• Corticosteroid (cortisone), alone or mixed with lidocaine.
• Acupuncture.
• Dry-needling, a needle used without any medication.

One key component is corticosteroid, which reduces inflammation—the main culprit behind pain. This helps calm the muscle fibers, connective tissues, and surrounding nerves. Another component is lidocaine, a local anesthetic that quickly blocks pain receptors, preventing them from sending pain signals to your brain.
In some cases, Botox® can also be helpful, especially for chronic migraines. It temporarily paralyzes targeted muscles, preventing contractions that can lead to those debilitating headaches.

Celebrities That Have Openly Discussed Using Trigger Point Injections

Some athletes and celebrities have openly discussed using trigger point injections or similar therapies as part of their injury recovery or pain management. Some of these individuals include:

• Kobe Bryant: The late NBA legend Kobe Bryant reportedly used trigger point injections as part of his recovery from various injuries during his basketball career.
  
• Tiger Woods: The professional golfer Tiger Woods has mentioned using trigger point injections and other treatments for his back and leg injuries.
• Lady Gaga: The singer and actress Lady Gaga has discussed using trigger point injections to manage chronic pain related to her career.
• Jay-Z: The rapper and entrepreneur Jay-Z has reportedly used trigger point injections to manage shoulder pain.
  
• Lindsey Vonn: The retired alpine ski racer Lindsey Vonn has used trigger point injections to aid in her recovery from skiing injuries.

You might wonder why it’s essential to address muscle pain. Well, if trigger points are occasional and minor, they may be just a nuisance and resolve on their own. But if they persist, they can multiply, complicate other conditions, and even lead to misdiagnosis because trigger point pain can mimic other types of pain.

Who Would Benefit From Trigger Point Injections?

Talk to a New York pain management doctor if you are experiencing persistent pain from trigger points. You may be referred to a physiatrist, pain specialist, or physical therapist for further evaluation and treatment.

Trigger point causes / conditions:

• Back pain, which typically occurs after an injury at work or in a car accident.
• Neck pain
  
• Chronic tension from stress
  
• Fibromyalgia
  
• Myofascial pain syndrome, (also called chronic myofascial pain) is a condition in which connective tissue called fascia tightness and contracts; this is usually from an injury or overuse (repetitive motion)
  
• Poor posture
  
• Migraine or tension headaches
  
• Traumatic or overuse (repetitive motion) sports or other injury
  

Schedule an appointment with CitimedNY Pain Specialists in New York. Our network of injury doctors are experts in finding the root of your pain, and if trigger points are the issue, relief may be just an injection away.

Call 866-Citimed today to book an appointment with one of our specialty doctors. Your well-being is my priority, and together, we can work towards a pain-free future.