trigger point injections

[andrerox80]

i did (and continue to do) my own research and did a search here (w/o finding what i was looking for), and am wondering if anyone's had tpi? if so, how long did the results last? how many times did you do it? and anything else. although of course i know results are individual, as is the fact of if they even relieve pain. i had never even heard of them (cortisone, yes, but not tpi) until i got them yesterday.

[thepowerwithin]

I've had trigger point injections twice, both times in my upper back, where I get these knot-like muscle spasms. They work wonders for me and last a very long time. Luckily, I only suffer from knots in my back when I am super stressed or work long hours, which isn't very often.

[sy2502]

I didn't even know they existed until reading this thread! And I wish I did! And I wish my doctor would have told me, instead of telling me to take over the counter pain killers first, then prescribing muscle relaxants and Vicodin later. I have had some really serious problems with trigger points that went into spasms for days, I don't recommend that kind of pain to anyone.

I have had very good results with deep tissue massage. It hurts like hell when they put their elbow in the problem spot, but if you can take the momentary excruciating pain, and feeling like you have been run over by a bus for the next couple of days, it really does help reduce the flare ups.

[andrerox80]

i un-did mine got them yesterday and woke up feeling so great. pain down to a 6. the sharpness was dulled. i swear, i woke up smiling. that kept up and i accidentally used my left arm to help get me up and all hell broke loose. i am so much worse than before. i am hysterical and was hyperventilating. emailed doc to see if i can get them again asap and i'd be more careful, but i hadn't researched how long b/w sessions you have to wait, if there is such a requirement. just lidocaine. it's my left scapula, and it's bad enough that i didn't know i broke a rib (xrays showed it). this is not okay.

I've had trigger point injections twice, both times in my upper back, where I get these knot-like muscle spasms. They work wonders for me and last a very long time. Luckily, I only suffer from knots in my back when I am super stressed or work long hours, which isn't very often.

so glad to hear that they last a long time. how do you know when feeling 'better' is still the injections vs actually getting better? like so you don't overestimate what you think you can do when your body isn't ready even though you 'feel' better?

I didn't even know they existed until reading this thread! And I wish I did! And I wish my doctor would have told me, instead of telling me to take over the counter pain killers first, then prescribing muscle relaxants and Vicodin later. I have had some really serious problems with trigger points that went into spasms for days, I don't recommend that kind of pain to anyone.

I have had very good results with deep tissue massage. It hurts like hell when they put their elbow in the problem spot, but if you can take the momentary excruciating pain, and feeling like you have been run over by a bus for the next couple of days, it really does help reduce the flare ups.

what kind of doctor did you see? i saw an orthopedist at a spine center. yes, spasming. me too. do you know what triggers yours? is it a lifelong problem? a deep tissue massage sounds like hell!! i've obviously heard abt that w/ trigger pain. you must be one tough cookie.

[Madi-J]

This is peaking my interest...I have issues with what feels like a muscle under the inner side of my right scapula knotting constantly. If I move just right, it will send shooting pains up my back and neck, and what feels like through my chest (like being stabbed, not fun). Electrotherapy at my chiropractor helps, but if I go a month or more without it the pain comes right back. I wonder if what I'm going through is what you ladies are talking about...

[sy2502]

what kind of doctor did you see? i saw an orthopedist at a spine center. yes, spasming. me too. do you know what triggers yours? is it a lifelong problem? a deep tissue massage sounds like hell!! i've obviously heard abt that w/ trigger pain. you must be one tough cookie.

No, it was my pretty useless family doctor. I don't know what started it, some say when you sit in front of a computer too much and you slouch, you are extending and stretching your back muscles, specifically the traps (where most people get the spasms), for hours on end, and the spasm is a reaction to that.
I used to just lie in bed waiting for it to pass, but I noticed doing some back work with lighter weights makes it better.

[thepowerwithin]

so glad to hear that they last a long time. how do you know when feeling 'better' is still the injections vs actually getting better? like so you don't overestimate what you think you can do when your body isn't ready even though you 'feel' better?

I got a massage before pursuing TPI, but it didn't work. The therapist said my muscles were taut and felt like ropes. You could actually hear the muscles crunching as she worked on them from whatever buildup occurs from longstanding, severe trigger points.

The injections contain an anesthetic and a steroid, so I had immediate pain relief. My doctor recommended I rest the day of the injection, as the anesthesia could mask offending activities, then pursue activities within my pain tolerance. I actually babied the area until I was completely pain-free and spasm relaxed. I was also prescribed lidocaine patches (these are great), stretching, and an oral anti-inflammatory.

My physician also told me that she could very well miss the exact trigger point and I may require more than one injection. I was lucky in that my physician nailed it each time.

[Big_Sky_Guy]

Never tried trigger point injects, but have found relief with neuromuscular massage (slow deep pressure to relax the surrounding muscle tissue, then stopping at the trigger points = feels like a fiery starburst when it releases.) As painful as those massages are, they are very effective.

Breaking up scar tissue is way more painful for me, so I am always happy when the MT tells me there is no scar tissue!

Hope you find something that works soon. Sucks to be all stoved up!

[andrerox80]

eta: last night was ridiculous. my fault. but pain worse than ever and far worse than having 6 fractured vertebrae. felt like i had been shot. wanted to die. ust got 15 injections. got the twitch w/ ea one but i feel like not enough, despite the number if injections, was covered b/c it's not as good as it was last time. or maybe that's just b/c my pain was so much worse. i am so exhausted by all of this and feel like it's a losing battle, esp w/ the osteoporosis (even though this pain isn't fracture pain) and fracturing having been triggered in aug/sept. an who is the hell is in so much pain that they are unaware of a broken rib? so my quality of life is worse b/c of the pain AND b/c i can't do the one thing i want to - lift.

This is peaking my interest...I have issues with what feels like a muscle under the inner side of my right scapula knotting constantly. If I move just right, it will send shooting pains up my back and neck, and what feels like through my chest (like being stabbed, not fun). Electrotherapy at my chiropractor helps, but if I go a month or more without it the pain comes right back. I wonder if what I'm going through is what you ladies are talking about...

i have no idea if it's the same, but can always ask your doc. there's dry needling too (found out abt that when reading abt tpi's. my doc said i might need more in 3 weeks - unknown how long results will last - so if you're doing something 1 x / mo, this might not be better. but no harm in inquiring.

I used to just lie in bed waiting for it to pass, but I noticed doing some back work with lighter weights makes it better.

mine is constant and i'm not at a point where i can hold a light db, but that's good to know for when i can.

The injections contain an anesthetic and a steroid, so I had immediate pain relief. My doctor recommended I rest the day of the injection, as the anesthesia could mask offending activities, then pursue activities within my pain tolerance. I actually babied the area until I was completely pain-free and spasm relaxed. I was also prescribed lidocaine patches (these are great), stretching, and an oral anti-inflammatory.

My physician also told me that she could very well miss the exact trigger point and I may require more than one injection. I was lucky in that my physician nailed it each time.

i had 5 - 3 in my scapula and 2 in my neck and felt immediate relief too. dulling of the sharp pain. and even better yesterday morning. then i mucked it up. i knew i wasn't supposed to do anything that day but was feeling so good that i thought i'd be back at it in a couple days. i had the patches w/ my colon and when i fractured and they didn't help either time, but since this is a different kind of issue, maybe they'd work.