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What is trigger point injection?
Trigger point injection (TPI) is a procedure used to treat painful areas
of muscle that contain trigger points, or knots of muscle that form
when muscles do not relax. Many times, such knots can be felt under the skin.
Trigger points may irritate the nerves around them and cause referred pain, or
pain that is felt in another part of the body.
In the TPI procedure, a health care professional inserts a small needle into
the patient’s trigger point. The injection contains a local anesthetic that
sometimes includes a corticosteroid. With the injection, the trigger point is
made inactive and the pain is alleviated. Usually, a brief course of treatment
will result in sustained relief. Injections are given in a physician’s office
and usually take just a few minutes. Several sites may be injected in one visit.
If a patient has an allergy to a certain medication, a "dry-needle"
technique (involving no medications) can be used.
For what ailments is trigger point injection used?
TPI is used to treat many muscle groups, especially those in the arms, legs,
lower back, and neck. In addition, TPI can be used to treat fibromyalgia and
tension headaches. TPI also is used to alleviate myofascial pain syndrome
(chronic pain involving tissue that surrounds muscle) that does not respond
to other treatment. However, the effectiveness of TPI for treating myofascial
pain is still under some debate.
What is spinal cord stimulation?
Spinal cord stimulation delivers low-level electrical signals to the spinal
cord or to specific nerves to block pain signals from reaching the brain. In
this procedure, a device that delivers the electrical signals is implanted in
the body either surgically or percutaneously (through the skin). The patient may
turn the current off and on or adjust the intensity of the signals. Most people
describe the feelings from the simulator as being pleasant and tingling.
Two kinds of spinal cord stimulation systems are available. The unit that is
more commonly used is fully implanted and has a pulse generator and a
non-rechargeable battery. The other system includes an antenna, transmitter, and
a receiver that relies upon radio frequency. The latter system’s antenna and
transmitter are carried outside the body, while the receiver is implanted inside
the body.
When is spinal cord stimulation used?
This device is used when other treatments have not been successful, when
surgery is not likely to help, or when surgery has failed. However, the device
is not for everyone; check with your doctor.
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