Pain Management – Joint Injection & Trigger Point Therapy

For those that suffer from chronic pain and need long-term pain management solutions, opioids were once a promising solution. Unfortunately, if you’ve been watching the news lately, it is no secret that long-term opioid usage can lead to overdose, addiction, tolerance, physical dependence, or even worse.

The world is awash with opiate pain killers. In fact, between 1999 and 2015, US pharmaceutical companies produced more than 17 billion prescription pills containing opioids. Opioids are generally used to treat acute and chronic pain by reducing inflammation and inhibiting neuropathic pain. But the opioid epidemic has made it difficult for physicians to prescribe opioids for long-term use due to their addictive nature and potential for abuse.

Many people think that pain management is solely dependent on narcotics, but there are many ways to manage pain without resorting to opioids and their dangerous side effects.

Joint Injections

Joint injections are non-surgical procedures that insert a corticosteroid into the damaged joint. Medical providers perform these injections right in their medical offices. The injections help reduce pain and discomfort in patients suffering health concerns such as arthritis, bursitis, tendinitis, and gout. 

These injections are specifically successful at alleviating pain in the knee and elbow joints and provide an effective non-invasive and non-surgical alternative for chronic pain relief.

Joint injections are the most effective treatment options for non-curable concerns such as arthritis. Although not a permanent solution for the pain, joint injections can provide instant and long-term relief from chronic pain.

A medical provider will discuss with you and locate the proper spot to administer the injection. After a topical anesthetic is applied and the joint has received the injection, the patient will feel immediate pain relief. The initial sensation of comfort is likely to be followed by soreness and swelling within a day. However, as the steroids work, the soreness and inflammation reduction, thereby improving your range of motion with minimum or zero discomfort/pain.

It varies from patient to patient, but the pain relief can last several months, and a patient can receive between two and three injections in a single year. It should be noted that results may vary from patient to patient.

Trigger Point Injections

Trigger point therapy, also known as myofascial trigger point therapy (MTPT), is a non-invasive treatment for chronic pain and other conditions. Myofascial trigger points are tiny knots in the fascia of your muscles that can develop from everyday activities such as sitting, standing, and moving. They cause muscle spasms and can be painful when pressed on. Trigger point injection is an effective method of treating trigger points and relieving pain caused by these tender spots.

Procedure

During the procedure, the medical provider trained in trigger point injection will inject the area with lidocaine. The injections help relax and normalize the trigger points, thereby releasing the stress or relaxing the fascia, which results in the reduction of pain and further tissue damage. 

Frequently Asked Questions