can result from repetitive strain and unbalanced tension placed upon muscles from overuse, daily functional activities, bending and lifting, or prolonged sitting at a computer.
MTrPs often develop in the back, neck, shoulders, chest, buttock, and thigh regions. These painful knots can remain focal to a small area of muscle, but also have the potential to send waves of radiating pain to other distant parts of the body, often in a predictable pattern.
To release tension, reduce spasm, and increase blood flow, a thin needle gently targets the muscle.
Therapeutic agents, often including an anesthetic (such as lidocaine or mepivacaine) and saline (a saltwater solution), are injected. In cases where there is scar tissue associated with chronic longstanding trigger points, corticosteroid (cortisone) may be used. When no substance is injected at all, the procedure consists of dry needling.
When the needle “hits the spot”, contact with the tight muscle bands may provoke a twitch reaction followed by a neurological release, reducing the pain signals to the brain and resetting your neuromuscular system.
Education is provided about the inciting factors, preventative measures including stress reduction techniques, and therapeutic exercises to reverse the cause.
