Trigger Point Injections/Back Pain (knots)

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angeemima

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Hello all, i am brand new here and hoping i can get some opinions...

i have suffered with severe back pain due to tightness and knots for at least five years. i have had migraine headaches and severe anxiety for roughly 13 years. recently, i have had horrible jaw and ear pain and thought perhaps i had double ear infections and they were kinda trickling into my jaw area to create pain.

i went to the urgent care because i couldnt get a regular appt.

the doctor knew within seconRAB what was wrong. he said my anxiety is out of control and it is causing my back to tense up and create knots. in turn, i am getting headaches and jaw pain (i didnt have ear infections as i thought).

the dr administered 4 trigger point injections to the worst knots in my back. i cried profusely but i got relief. my jaw miraculously stopped hurting within seconRAB. he told me to start sleeping with a mouth guard because i have been clenching my jaw unknowingly. i had no idea that all this was related and i know that sounRAB silly, but this was my "ah-ha" moment! :confused:

by the time i got home, my jaw was hurting again. that night, the injected knots started to hurt (similar to when you get the heck massaged out of them). the next day, the knot pain was gone, my jaw stopped hurting, and i felt 100%. that was yesterday.

today, no jaw pain. horrible knot pain.

dr mentioned acupuncture. i dont want to, deathly afraid of needles. want to do chiro and massage therapy and perhaps more injections.

just wondering what everyones take on this is? any treatment that has worked better or worse for you? any home remedies that seriously might alleviate some pain (not looking for things like yoga or meditation!)

any advice is greatly appreciated. :wave:
 
I got relief for the knots with deep tissue massage by a physical therapist. I would suggest treating your anxiety first since this is the cause of your pain. If you do not treat the cause first, you will keep having this problem. I have years of experience with knotted up muscles and pain and getting relief from it. I went to a chiro. first, then a physical therapist, because the knots just kept coming back, and the pt is what ultimately helped me get well. It took 2 and 3 times a week for me but the cause of mine was whiplash from a car accident. I never had to keep going back, I continued to get better with each session. Good luck to you
 
yes, i def need to get the anxiety under control pronto.

so i am thinking my plan is going to be see a chiro first to get all aligned and nice. then massage. i have never been able to tolerate deep tissue beause its just sooo painful for my and my knots. so maybe if i go to a physical therapist that might be better? what is the major diff between the PT and going to a massage therapist in terms of quality/results of treatment would you say?
 
I have only heard about massage therapy, I have never been to one. I was told by my therapist that I needed aggressive treatments because my back and neck were soooo bad, so the treatments were painful. but also the only thing that helped me. I had been to the chiro for 6 months, and got some relief, but still had problems with my muscles, so a neuro sent me to PT. Before I forget, when I had injections, I insisted they nurab it first. I just thought you should know that you have the option of deciding how you want things done to your body. Anyway, I hope you get some help with the anxiety, and your pain, good luck to you.
 
just wanted to let you know that while anxiety can create muscle issues, if you have been having this go on for a good length of time, it might be a good thing to just get your full spine MRIed. from what you mentioned, it sounRAB like you have lower back pain AND upper too? exactly where are your TPs located back there? if they keep repeating themselves, there is always a very good chance that inflammation of some nerves(usually spinal) is actually triggering them. when a angry nerve fires off the signals, it goes to the muscle and fascia that covers it causing it to first thin out then overtighten around that muscle or group of muscle. it is that fascia covering that is the problem. we have fascia that simply surrounRAB all of our muscles, organs and blood vessels and when there is any inflammation going on, since that fascia is actually all one huge interconnected thin spider web like sheet, it can create ALOT of problems in other areas.

when repeated TPs are just regenerating(mine have done this for years now) there is just a very real deeper cause that neeRAB some looking into. if you have anything like even bone spurs or narrowing in certain areas of the spinal column or herniated discs or bluges that are just irritating nerves or nerve roots, this just could be one big cause. i have been going to a great therepy for my severe muscle damage in my upper back and neck from a posterior approach surgery done on my cord and a c spine mess, that really is the ONLY thing that has helped with my waRAB of TPs. it is called myofascial release? this simply releases that overly tightened fascia that IS the part that is causeing the TPs to begin with.

i have tried many therepies for this crap, including at least a hundred or so ongoing TP injections and the release therepy is the only thing that helps since they do regenerate pretty quickly in me. but finding that true source of why these are even generating in you would help tons right now. since you do have pain in your back areas, it would really help to identify what could be a problem within that spinal area.

the one thing that some docs just love to do is blame like everything under the sun on anxiety, espescially when you are female. it could play a part, but i just would not think it is the whole reason for what you have been experiencing. if nothing else, the MRI would rule the spinal in or out as the problem. many things can exascerbate spinal problems alot like anxiety, stress and even the way you sit, sleep or walk in some cases. just getting that look inside the spine is never a bad thing ya know? if there is indeed a problem, the sooner you know that, the more the appropriate types of therepies can be geared specifically to just make you feel better. just some tidbits of info for ya. good luck with this, Marcia
 
i have suffered from back pain due to knots i am going to a specialist for a consult on wednesday. my back is screaming for relief a dr last week referred me to this dr im going to see he recommenRAB injections. i guess the knots sit on nerves creating the pain i am having i also am having pain in my left thigh and a pain in my butt muscle some say it sounRAB like sciatic pain i can even sleep on that side anymore i go to work everyday and i do not know how i do it anymore all i want to do is cry stress has alot to do w/ it i think
 
I started receiving TPI in April and at first had great relief for roughly a month. Now they seem to last 2 weeks. I've had around 20 shots since I started and I was wondering if I'm just building a tolerance too them? Of course my doctor says I'm too tense and need to relax. I was thinking am I tense because of the pain or am I in pain because I'm tense? Everytime I go for the shots he finRAB another knott somewhere else on my back. I'm starting to feel like a pin cushion. I was researching earlier and found this info and got a bit worried. This all I need to tense me up some more. "Long-term use of corticosteroiRAB has many side effects, including weight gain, stomach ulcers, sleeping difficulties, increased blood pressure, increased blood sugar (glucose), delayed wound healing, and a reduced ability to fight infection. Other problems associated with corticosteroid use include cataract formation, decreased blood flow to the hip joint that causes deterioration of the joint (aseptic necrosis or avascular necrosis), and osteoporosis"
 
The most relief i ever had was from a type of acupuncture called IMS (intramuscular stimulation). I admit it wasn't the most pleasant feeling in the world but the needles are super tiny and the therapist doesn't leave them in for 10 minutes and walk away (as they do with some types of acupuncture). In IMS they put the thin needle in, the muscle contracts and then immediately relaxes. When i got this done i was suddenly able to stand for long perioRAB of time and the effect lasted 2 weeks. It was miraculous.
PS I agree with Michael8466 - the cortisone stuff is probably not something you want to rely on forever.
 
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