The Demystification of Injections
Many times our clients with muscular or spinal injuries are presented with the option by their physicians of undergoing injections in an effort to improve their symptoms. They oftentimes are concerned and fearful of this form of treatment due to a lack of knowledge of what it entails. Consequently, I thought it would be a good idea to help demystify some of the fears or misconceptions surrounding injections.
If you are suffering from muscular or myofascial pain then a form of treatment to be considered is the trigger point injection. Trigger points are localized muscle spasms. Muscle spasms occur when muscles become tight, (i.e., contracted) for a long period of time. This chokes the muscle causing a decrease in oxygen which prevents the muscle from healing.
A trigger point injection is performed in the doctor’s office. A needle is inserted directly into the area of muscle spasm, or trigger point. Then the area is typically injected with a short-acting local anesthetic numbing agent such as Lidocaine as well as a longer-acting anti-inflammatory, corticosteroid agent. The hope is that the injection will provide relief for muscle pain and inflammation, allowing the patient to continue with therapy and promote the body to heal.
Spinal inflammation and swelling can be treated with epidural steroid injections. This procedure involves an injection into the area surrounding the spinal cord and spinal nerves. X‑ray fluoroscopy is used to guide the needle directly into the area where the pain generator is located. The steroid is then injected around the dura, which is the sac that surrounds the nerve roots and the cerebrospinal fluid that the nerve roots float within. The objective of injecting around the dural sac is to dramatically reduce the inflammation in the area thus allowing the body to heal.
Facet joint injections are steroid injections that involve inserting the needle with fluoroscopic guidance into the affected spinal facet joint to reduce the inflammation. The facet joints are the joints in your spine that make your back flexible and enable you to bend and twist. Nerves exit your spinal cord through these joints on their way to other parts of your body.
I hope you find this article informative and that it will ease your concerns if you’re ever offered injections as a form of treatment.
If you have questions about this matter or any other matters involving personal injury please feel free to contact my office at 727-494-2008.