Many times, 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.

What happens during the procedure
In the trigger point injection procedure, the healthcare 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 results in sustained relief. Injections are given in a doctor'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 can be used.

When is trigger point injection used
Trigger Point Injection is used to treat muscle groups, especially those in the arms, legs, lower back and neck. In addition, trigger point injection can be used to treat fibromyalgia and tension headaches. Trigger point injections are used to alleviate myofascial pain syndrome that does not respond to other treatments. However, the effectiveness of trigger point injection for treating myofascial pain is still under study.