Trigger point injections

[Carolinee71]

Has any one had these for back pain. Was at the pain clinic and she is going to put me on the list for a Tuesday morning. It sounds worrying as she said I will have them done in theatre

Pease can someone talk,e through what happens

Thanks

Caroline

[Mdaisy]

Hello Caroline,

I have never had them so cannot comment however others may have. I just wanted to provide you with the link to the website about Trigger Point Injections;

fibroaction.org/Pages/Injec...

Hope it helps

Emma

FibroAction Administrator

[agtf1]

Hi, I think different places may do them differently, but I had them done a couple of time & had a local aneasthetic injected into the muscles in my back (the same stuff the dentist gives you for a filling or tooth extraction). The injection itself was very painful but it did provide significant pain relief for a couple of weeks. Unfortunately I found out that I'm allergic to the local aneasthetics used (never had a local before & understand its unusual to react to them) and had to stop the injections.

I hope they work for you xxx

[chrianne]

I've had them a few times now. I didn't find them too painful to have, unfortunately the effect did not last long, a couple of weeks at most. That's not to say that they won't help you. I think we have to try all that's offered to us.

[Hidden]

I've not had them in my back, but in my shoulder. It did hurt, but wasn't unbearable. It took a few days to recover from the pain of injection and didn't offer more than a couple of weeks relief so I was told it wasn't worth repeating.

[charlie_red]

I had the steroid & anesthetic injections in my neck, shoulders and back. I found the injections quite painful and the injection site was rather tender for a few days after. I only had them twice as I did not get much pain relief from them. Hope they work for you

[Aisha]

Hello Carolinee71, Sorry for the late reply! I've been having trigger point injections the last 2years in my Lower Back due to an Accident at work from falling from a chair and I am now suffering with Spinal Stenosis, my pain Consultant usually does it in Theatre as its a more Sterile, they usually inject with some local I find it can be uncomfortable and a little painful, I find it get worse at first for a week and Tender to touch, but I usually get 3 months relief which isn't bad, I have it done every 6 months, and by then I'm ready to have it done again, I'm going next month for my next course of treatment. Please let me know how you get on? And I hope it will help your problem. I have many other health problems as well. Good Luck....Love Aisha..

[Carolinee71 in reply to Aisha]

Hi thanks, I am just a bit worried, my consultant also wants to do it in theatre as it's more sterile. I was concerned that she said I wasn't to eat or drink anything on the morning and I would be allowed home once I have had something to eat and drink and gone to the toliet . It made it seem so much more than a couple of jabs

Things are not helped by the face I hate hospital and I am on the scared side of having things done as I have had 3 operations in my life and they have gone wrong and had problems with infections. Also the last time I was in overnight I was just shown a bed at about 10 pm while in pain. Not one person / nurse came to talk to me I was just left in tears. The following morning the tea lady said I was on nil by mouth so I was left since coming in, in the afternoon through a&e with no food or drink and wasn't on a drip. By lunch time after asking the nurses and health care workers for some water. I was told I wasn't on nil by mouth but could go home now!!!!!

I must admitted I am worried so thank you for explaining how it is for you. I am in so much pain I have to give it a try

So thanks here's hoping it goes well and works!

Caroline

[Jjudith]

Hi I've had trigger point injections into my face, neck and shoulders. They don't hurt at all because usually they put a local anaesthetic in with the jab. They just locate the active trigger point either with a machine or with palpatations and inject into it.

A trigger point is an area in a muscle which goes into a knot and causes the muscle to shorten and the fascia of the muscle to distort, causing pain. They can come in response to muscle damage or pain, for example, athletes get them. There is also a condition caused myofascial pain sydrome and 70% of people with fibro have it, you can read the books by Chris Jenner Fibromyalgia and Myofascial Pain Syndrome, or by Devin Starlanyl Fibromyalgia and Chronic Myofascial Pain (the US name for MPS) for more info. Ask at your library or buy a second hand copy cheap from the Internet.

I no longer have injections because I use trigger point massage on myself. I had no background knowledge and taught myself and didn't find it difficult. The injection is into the knot and causes the muscle to release. You can also do this by pressing on the knot. I find it incredibly useful. You can teach yourself by using a book by Clair Davies called The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook. The beauty of it is that you can do the massage on yourself at any time, you don't have to wait for injections and you don't have to travel to get the injections. You can also find if there is a trigger point massage therapist in your area - in my area I have found someone who works as a trigger point massage therapist for a local football club and he undertakes some private work in the evenings. You can also try myofascial release, there are a lot of myofascial release therapists but unfortunately release therapists and trigger point masseurs are not employed in pain clinics, I can't think why.