Getting to the Bottom of Your Pain: What Are Nerve Blocks & Trigger Point Injections?

A nerve block involves injecting medication near a specific nerve or group of nerves to temporarily relieve pain. In some cases, these injections can provide long-lasting pain relief. By combining anti-inflammatory medication with a local anesthetic, nerve blocks can also promote healing by reducing inflammation around damaged nerves.

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Nerves act like cables that transmit electrical signals between the brain and the body, enabling sensations like touch and pain, muscle movement, and regulating bodily functions such as breathing, sweating, and digestion. While nerve blocks primarily target pain signals, they can impact other nerve functions too.

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The effects of a nerve block typically take effect swiftly, but they are often only a temporary solution. Some individuals find relief with a single injection, while others may require multiple treatments. It's also possible that a nerve block may not provide relief for some individuals, necessitating alternative treatments to manage their symptoms.

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Trigger points are taut bands of skeletal muscle found in muscle groups throughout the body. They often resemble knots or marbles. If you’ve ever experienced muscle pain or stiffness, you may be familiar with the tender feeling that you get when trigger points are touched. Most people dealing with “knotted muscles” are actually experiencing trigger points in the calf muscles, hamstrings, quadratus lumborum muscles (lower back), iliotibial bandor (thigh), or trapezius muscles (neck). Once a trigger point has been identified and the overlying skin cleansed, the clinician  will insert the needle into the trigger point and rhythmically continue needling the area by repeatedly inserting and retracting the needle without completely withdrawing the needle from the muscle. The clinician will continue this motion in multiple directions until muscle twitching has subsided, or until the muscle feels adequately relaxed. A "crunching" or "pulling" may be felt as the clinician inserts and retracts the needle within the tense muscle; this will likely decrease throughout the treatment

Active trigger points are knots that create pain in the immediate area. Passive trigger points are trigger points that create what is called referred pain. That means that a trigger point that’s present in the shoulder may create a radiating pain that is felt all down the arm. This is where the importance of an impeccable diagnosis with excellent care management becomes so important. Trigger points can only be healed when the correct trigger point is being treated.

The combination of injections allows for a unique massage experience. The acute pain relief allows us to penetrate deeper into muscle tissues and adhesions with the muscles. Our massage is aimed utilizing these techniques to provide targeted non narcotic pain control and improve range of motion, and overall health.