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Exploring Trigger Point Injection As A Treatment For TMJ Disorders

Published on

Nov 05

2024

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Table of contents

1. What is Trigger Point Pain?

2. What is TPI Procedure?

3. What does Trigger Point Injection Do?

4. What is Trigger Point Treatment?

5. Side Effects of Using TPI procedure

TPI treatment is becoming more popular nowadays, as it is a non-invasive form of treating pain and discomfort in your muscles and tissues. Trigger point injection is used to treat micro-trauma caused in the neck, shoulders and lower back and leg region predominantly when compared to other areas of the body. Let us know more about this type of treatment in this blog and help you make informed decisions, if you come across situations of getting TPI aid.

What is Trigger Point Pain?

When you have pain in single or multiple areas in your muscles or fascia that gets sensitive or strained, you experience discomfort that can be treated using the TPI treatment. The spot is usually termed the hyperirritable spot. and you have a feeling of throbbing, stiffness with small bumps or knots that cause pain with or without contact.

What is TPI Procedure?

TPI procedure is conducted by a trained doctor, to relieve myofascial pain, with simple steps followed to release the knots of the muscles. A step-by-step process for the same is mentioned for your convenience-

Based on the location of your trigger point, the examiner asks you to be seated or to lie down.
The affected area is cleansed by a cotton swab with alcohol.
The area of discomfort is marked.
Your healthcare provider then identifies the area by feeling the knot and pinches it between the fingers to stabilize the tissue in that area.
A trigger point injection CPT (Cervical Trigger Point) is a procedure in which a thin needle is inserted into the area and removed slightly without pulling it out completely. This fanning method is repeated rhythmically by inserting and retracting multiple times inside the skin of the affected muscle area.
There is a spasm like feeling that is experienced during this procedure, and your healthcare provider stops the procedure once this twitching stops.
The affected area is then injected with a local anesthetic with or without a steroid and the procedure is complete.

What does Trigger Point Injection CPT Do?

The trigger point injection comes as a dry insertion needle or with an anesthetic. It aids in injecting either sterile saline or sodium bicarbonate, sometimes along with a steroid to decrease discomfort. Pointing at an angle of 3- degree, the injection helps reduce the twitching effect of the inflamed area.

After the injection procedure, pain decreases and mobility of the area increases, without the use of administered medicines. Here, the patient’s comfort is given utmost importance.

What is Trigger Point Treatment?

Trigger point injection helps treat various issues. Some are-

Headache and migraine are linked to the trigger point pain in the shoulders, neck and head, where the myofascial trigger points get more sensitive than other points resulting in pain and discomfort.

This is a condition similar to arthritis but affecting the soft tissues instead of the joints, causing severe pain. This may be caused by factors like an infection, accidents leading to physical trauma, history of rheumatoid arthritis or Lupus. This can lead to neuromuscular problems that affect the nerves in certain stages.

Trigger point injection helps in relieving the symptoms of myofascial pain syndrome by relaxing the affected muscles. The chronic pain caused by this issue affects the muscles and surrounding tissues, causing inflammation. Here, the doctors predict the myofascial trigger point injection helps in blocking the nerve signals to the brain of the referred pain caused in the affected area.

Side Effects of Using TPI procedure

Trigger point injections can be an immediate relief as a solution to your trigger point pain. However, there may be some side effects post the treatment like-

Superficial bleeding
Dizziness during treatment
Temporary pain around the treated area
Pigmentation or temporary discoloration of the treated area
Any pain or swelling in the treated area will subside after a few hours of treatment

Conclusion

By going through this blog, you have now known that trigger point injection is a safe way of treatment of the muscular knots and pain in the muscular tissues throughout the bodies. Visiting a clinic like TMJ India for such problems can be an ideal option, by consulting the healthcare provider there for your trigger point pain.

To treat the most complex of TMJ problems, contact us at TMJ India and get your appointment with our TMJ experts today!

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