Approximately 50 million Americans are in chronic pain, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Pain that is acute (sudden) can become chronic without proper pain management, and this usually involves a combination of traditional and interventional treatment methods.
Chronic pain can be caused by tight muscles resulting from a sudden injury, a repetitive injury that developed at work or during a hobby, or a strenuous activity that overloaded your muscles. These painful areas are called trigger points, and they can indicate the source of your pain. When the painful trigger point is pressed by a finger, it causes pain somewhere else in the body.
What Are Trigger Points?
Symptoms of pain caused by trigger points include a bump that forms in the area where you feel pain, which is a tight knot of muscles. This can irritate the surrounding nerves and cause neck, back, arm, or leg pain. People with active lifestyles and athletes are prone to developing trigger points.
For chronic pain that is felt at specific trigger points, you may be able to achieve much-needed relief through trigger point therapy. Let’s talk about what trigger point therapy is and who you can talk to about treatment for your chronic pain.
What Is Trigger Point Therapy?
This is a type of interventional pain treatment that aims to reduce inflammation in the affected region. A needle, with or without medication, is injected directly into the area where the tight muscles have formed and have created a trigger point.
This treatment is often recommended only after the patient has tried more conservative (noninvasive) methods of treatment, such as RICE (rest, ice, compression, and elevation of the area), NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), and physical therapy. Moreover, it is rarely a standalone treatment, as it is often used with other pain management therapies.
Trigger point therapy has been particularly beneficial to patients who have myofascial pain or fibromyalgia. It effectively alleviates pain by reducing the inflammation that irritates the surrounding area, which is causing referred pain.
A single session of trigger point therapy takes just under 30 minutes. The specialist will palpate the area, searching for bumps that indicate knotted muscles. Depending on the severity of your condition, you may need several therapy sessions of the treatment in order to achieve relief from the pain. You may feel temporarily numb and sore in the region where the specialist administered the needle.
Trigger Point Therapy for Tight Muscles in Austin, Cedar Park, Round Rock and Pflugerville, Texas
If you’re suffering from muscle pain, it could be due to trigger points that have formed in different parts of your body. Here at Endeavor Physical Therapy & Wellness, we offer trigger point therapy without the medication, also known as dry needling. We use it to provide pain relief to patients with cancer, arthritis, headaches, herniated discs, knee pain, muscle strains, and TMJ disorders.
To learn more about dry needling and to find out whether you may benefit from it, call Endeavor Physical Therapy & Wellness today at (512) 284-7192 or request an appointment via our online form now. We look forward to helping you quell that pain once and for all.
