Trigger point injections (TPI) are minimally invasive procedures that is often used for treating pain. They can be used when other conservative treatments have not sufficed or used in conjunction to other therapies such as therapeutic massage, physical therapy, chiropractor care, topical pharmacological or non-topical pharmacological treatments. Trigger point injections are performed in an outpatient or medical office setting. 

A trigger point injection is an injection given directly into the trigger point of a muscle. The injection may include a corticosteroid (to help decrease inflammation) mixed in with a local anesthetic (e.g. lidocaine, xylocaine, bupivacaine), or an anesthetic may be used alone. Some other trigger point injections use saline alone. Some trigger point injections use no medication and rely on the needle only and is also known as “dry needling”. Researchers believe that the injection, whether it is with medication or the needle itself, causes a disruption of the nerve pain signaling pathways that cause referred pain.  Injection into the trigger point often leads to localized muscle pain reduction by relaxing the affected muscles.