As a chronic pain disorder, fibromyalgia often causes trigger points or areas of muscle tension and tenderness, leading to widespread musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, and sleep disturbances. When one muscle feels tense or has knots, it can make your entire body ache and radiate pain away from the trigger point. In order to help resolve this issue, trigger point injections can help relieve the trigger point, allowing your muscles to relax and work better. Below, we’ll describe how trigger point injections work and how they can benefit you in helping treat your fibromyalgia pain.
The Benefits of Trigger Point Injections For Fibromyalgia
Tension throughout the muscles, often referred to as knots, can develop for various reasons, from degenerative damage to stress along the joints. This often irritates the nerves and prevents your muscles from flowing more freely. For those with fibromyalgia, the widespread musculoskeletal pain often occurs from repeated nerve stimulation in the brain and spinal cord. Illness, chronic conditions, and physical/emotional events can exasperate it.
Trigger point injections provide significant pain relief for fibromyalgia patients by injecting medications and anesthetics, such as lidocaine, corticosteroids, and saline. This mixture quiets down the irritated nerves throughout the area and helps reduce inflammation along the trigger point knot. It’s considered an effective form of therapy for its ability to address many chronic conditions that don’t have a precise cause and offer many benefits, including:
- Pain Relief: Trigger point injections can relieve fibromyalgia patients significantly. The muscles can relax by injecting a local anesthetic or a combination of anesthetics and anti-inflammatory medications directly into the trigger points, reducing pain and discomfort. This targeted approach can offer more effective pain relief than other systemic treatments.
- Improved Muscle Function: Fibromyalgia often causes muscle stiffness and decreased range of motion. Trigger point injections help relax the muscles and reduce muscle tension, improving muscle function and increasing flexibility, improving your daily activities and overall physical functioning.
- Enhanced Sleep Quality: Sleep disturbances are common in fibromyalgia, and the presence of trigger points can exacerbate these sleep issues. By alleviating pain and muscle tension through trigger point injections, patients may experience improved sleep quality, positively impacting energy levels, mood, and overall well-being.
- Reduced Dependence on Medications: Trigger point injections can be a beneficial alternative treatment to medications for fibromyalgia. By targeting the specific trigger points causing pain, patients can reduce their reliance on pain medications or lower their dosages, minimizing potential side effects associated with long-term medication use.
Contact Pain Management Services For a Consultation Today!
At Pain Management Services, we provide comprehensive pain management solutions to improve the quality of life for individuals with fibromyalgia. Our experienced team of pain management specialists, located in Ballwin, MO, understands the unique challenges faced by fibromyalgia patients and can provide effective treatment options to care for your needs. Call (314) 821-8644 today to schedule a consultation with Dr. Calvin Cajigal, MD, and explore how trigger point injections can be a valuable addition to your fibromyalgia treatment plan.
