What to Expect After Trigger Point Injections

You’ve probably felt it yourself: a knot of muscle, maybe right under your shoulder blade or on the back of your neck. Sometimes, massaging the area can be enough to get the knot to release. In other cases, though, that knot of muscle fiber persists, causing you pain and potentially even limiting your mobility.

Fortunately, Dr. Halina Snowball can help. By offering trigger point injections at Integrated Pain Solutions in Stamford, Connecticut, she has a way to target knots and release them. With these treatments, you get a tool specifically designed to address trigger points, soothing not just the knot but also the pain it causes. 

Understanding trigger point injections

Dr. Snowball personalizes your trigger point injection treatment to you, your knot(s), and your symptoms. That includes tailoring what’s in your injection. She may use a corticosteroid to address inflammation or botulinum toxin to force a contracted muscle to relax, for example.

In any instance, though, your trigger point injection contains a local anesthetic, numbing the area to keep you comfortable. You feel a small pinch, but the anesthetic goes to work quickly. 

To apply the treatment in the right place, Dr. Snowball feels your muscle. She may have you move into certain positions or manually stretch the muscle herself to pinpoint the trigger point. Then, she cleans the area and applies the injection. 

Depending on how many knots you have in the muscle and their severity, you may need multiple injections. 

What happens next

You might feel numb and tingly for a few hours at your injection site as the anesthetic wears off. That shouldn’t stop you from getting back to your day, though. You don’t need to plan for any downtime with trigger point injections. 

That said, if you got the injection in your foot or leg, Dr. Snowball may recommend that someone else drive you home so any numbness in that area doesn’t cause an issue. 

Some people experience some soreness at the injection site for a couple of days. An ice pack wrapped in a towel or a heat wrap can usually ease any discomfort. 

Beyond the localized tenderness, the other most common side effects are:

• Bruising
• Swelling
• Bleeding
• A burning sensation

These should dissipate in a day or two. If anything concerns you, though, don’t hesitate to reach out to your team. 

Many people see immediate pain relief after their trigger point injection. In other cases, it may take a day or longer to notice results. 

Ultimately, trigger point injections give you a no-downtime, low-risk way to address that knot causing your pain. To find out if Dr. Snowball recommends this treatment for you, call our office at 203-293-0549 or request an appointment online today.