Injections for Fibromyalgia Pain

Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition that causes widespread muscle pain, sleep problems, fatigue and irritable bowel syndrome among other symptoms. There is no cure for the condition, but trigger point injections have been shown to lessen symptoms for some.

Trigger Points

• Trigger points, or knots, develop in the muscles of fibromyalgia patients. They can happen in any muscle throughout the body and lead to pain in other areas, called referred pain.

Function

• Trigger point injection therapy lessens the pain of tight, ropy bands of muscle involved in trigger point areas and helps them relax, alleviating pain.

Types

• The two types of trigger point injections are manual palpation injection, in which a physician locates the problem area by feel and then does the treatment; and needle EMG-guided injection, which involves palpation by a physician along with the use of guided imagery to find trigger points.

Treatment

• A physician will insert local anesthetic into the trigger point with a small needle. Sometimes a corticosteroid is also used.

Risks

• Contact a physician right away if redness or swelling happens after trigger point injection, especially if the injection was near the ribcage because there is risk of puncture to the lung or membrane that surrounds it.