Have you tried massage for your tight muscles, back and neck pain, headaches, etc. but can’t seem to keep in under control? Have you visited an Orange County chiropractor to find help but didn’t keep up with the exercises so the chronic pain came back? If so, then trigger points in the muscle may be the source of your pain! South OC Physical Medicine and Chiropractic Trigger Point treatment Therapy is an easy, rapid, and highly effective treatment that may be right for you!

What is a trigger point?
A trigger point is a small or large knot that forms when muscle fibers are under stress, tear, and then reform improperly possibly leaving scare tissue. They often occur at moving parts, sliding surfaces, and connecting points. For instance, a common trigger point location is at the base of the neck where the muscles attach to the superior angle of the scapula. This happens to be an area where many people store stress due to constant tension in the shoulders so you see them reaching back and trying to rub the area, in some cases until it bruises. Yet, the pain continues to return on a regular basis.

The trouble with trigger points is that they refer pain to other, seemingly unrelated tissues. For instance, your headache may be caused by the trigger points at the base of your neck or skull causing cervicogenic headaches that many times get mis-diagnosed by doctors as non-classic migraines. A trigger point in your hip may cause knee pain. A trigger point in your piriformis may cause sciatica. Your shoulder pain and tension may be caused by a trigger point near your shoulder blade.

Not only that, but once you have one trigger point, you are more likely to develop others in the same area. Unhealthy tissue breeds more unhealthy tissue. When muscles have trouble gliding smoothly due to a trigger point, stress is not distributed evenly across the muscle leading to corrupted muscle biomechanics and firing patterns. Therefore, the muscle can undergo further damage, enlarging the original trigger point or forming other trigger points around the same region.

Because trigger points only occur in tight, damaged muscles, they are often associated with spinal misalignment. Chronically tight muscles can repeatedly “pull” vertebrae out of alignment. So in the case of tight muscles, chiropractic care, physical therapy and massage may help greatly but not always lead to a permanent solution due to the severity of the problem.

Other chiropractic offices may not be able to offer further treatment, but South OC Physical Medicine and Chiropractic can unravel these trigger points and loosen tight muscles to ensure those chiropractic adjustments last longer and are more effective. If your spine is aligned and your http://healthsavy.com/product/adderal/ muscles are loosened, you will be able to achieve optimal nerve function and health.

What causes trigger points?
Long-term stress and tension can impact muscle fibers negatively, precipitating the formation of knots due to a build up of metabolites. Tissues that carry chronic stress and tension are less likely to heal properly when injured because the chronic tension interferes with blood flow and oxygenation of the tissues. Not only can stress affect your muscles but your mental state can directly affect your tissue health as well! Stress and pain can be a vicious cycle of ill health.

In addition, repetitive motions, such as typing, scanning, throwing a baseball, etc. can break down tissues and cause trigger points over time.

How do you know if you have a trigger point?
If you are a long-distance runner or do some activity that requires you to constantly use your muscles in the same repetitive manner, chances are you have a trigger point. Or if you have chronic, unexplained pain, a trigger point may be the explanation. Trigger points are particularly common in individuals who perform repetitive tasks or suffer from high stress, fibromyalgia, and other myofascial pain syndromes.

You may also be able to feel a trigger point under your skin. It is a clump or knot of tissue that can usually be moved back and forth under the skin but feels harder or bumpier than the other surrounding tissues (other pathologies can also present this way which is why having it evaluated by a professional is the best option). When you touch it, you may immediately feel referred pain to other parts of your body. Remember, it may take a professional to find your trigger points because they can hide deep in the tissue; and because trigger points refer pain, they may not be near your areas of pain.

There are things you can do to prevent trigger points on your own, but they can be very difficult to keep under control without the help of a professional. In fact, trigger points can enlarge and worsen if not addressed as more damaged muscle fibers continue to clump together.

Stretching, yoga, deep breathing, stress reduction techniques, massage therapy, and physical therapy exercises can all help, but in some cases the trigger point formation is so advanced that it needs more specific, targeted treatment such as a trigger point injection.

What is a Trigger Point Injection?
South OC Physical Medicine and Chiropractic offers minimally invasive Trigger Point Injection therapy for the stubborn trigger points that do not respond to more conservative treatment. Often, these trigger points have been in the body for years, becoming larger, more numerous, and more painful until you can’t stand it anymore.

A Trigger Point Injection involves a thin needle—similar to the size of needles used in acupuncture—that delivers non-medicated solutions such as saline or medication, usually Marcaine or Lidocaine with anti-inflammatory herbs or a Non-Steroid Anti-inflammatory Drug (NSAID). We will work with you to determine the best choice for your particular situation.

Prior to the injection, the patient’s skin is sprayed with a temporary numbing agent, ensuring that the injection is painless.

What are the risks?
Possible side effects include symptoms characteristic of a medication-related allergy. But we will work with you to ensure, to the best of our ability, that you are not allergic to the medication used in the injection. All of our specialists who perform Trigger Point Injections are well-trained and adhere to the highest standards of needle sterilization. Because of this, there are few risks associated with South OC Physical Medicine and Chiropractic’s Trigger Point Injection therapy

Is it effective?
We may use ultrasound technology to obtain a visual of the trigger point area to better view the tissues. This helps to take the guesswork out of Trigger Point Injections, making them more effective. In patients who have tried and failed other conservative methods to treat trigger points, Trigger Point Injections may be the best and most effective solution

Is a Trigger Point Injection right for me?
If you have chronic pain, tight muscles, and high stress levels, Trigger Point Injection therapy may be right for you. Visit South OC Physical Medicine and Chiropractic for a complete and integrative evaluation. We will help you learn to treat and prevent trigger points through stretching, massage, and other common practices. If these methods do not fully resolve your current trigger points, you are a prime candidate to receive the healing relief of Trigger Point Injection therapy treatment.