Who Administers Trigger Point Injections?
Trigger point injections are most often given in a physician’s office by a medical specialist, who often begins with injection of a nerve block to prevent unnecessary pain. This specialist may be a physiatrist, orthopedist, neurologist or pain specialist. A TPI procedure takes about 30 minutes from start to finish. Trigger Point Injection Medicine Various injection contents are used, including saline, local anesthetics (most commonly procaine hydrochloride, or Novocain), steroids and botulinum toxin. Beware of a practitioner who wants to inject long-acting local anesthetics, or those that are highly concentrated, or the drug epinephrine: all can cause muscle death. A mixture of lidocaine and bupivacaine, perhaps the most common trigger point injection substances, offers the benefit of immediate numbing along with long-acting relief of pain. Sarapin, a medication derived from the pitcher plant, can also be used. Good news for those with insurance plans through Blue Cross, Medica, Health
