Head and Neck Pain Management
Trigger Point Injections
If your temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD) stems from myofascial pain syndrome — a chronic pain disorder characterized by tight muscle fibers — you might find an effective solution in trigger point injections.
What Causes Trigger Points Near Your TMJ?
Trigger points are sensitive areas of hyper-tense muscles. When a trigger point causes persistent strain and pain throughout the muscle, physicians and dentists call it myofascial pain syndrome.
If you experience myofascial pain in your jaw, you can usually blame it on the masseter muscle, which connects the lower jawbone to the cheekbone.
However, you might also feel pain or tightness in the neck muscles surrounding the jaw.
There are several factors that might contribute to triggering point pain.
These include:
- Muscle injury, For example, you could develop a trigger point near a strained muscle.
- Muscle overuse Repetitive motions and poor posture can contribute to triggering pain.
- Stress and anxiety Some theories suggest anxious people are more likely to clench their muscles, a repeated strain that leaves them more susceptible to trigger points.
Can You Treat TMJ Pain With Trigger Point Injections?
The treatment for your TMJ disorder will depend on the cause.
Dr. James can help determine the source of your pain and put together the best treatment plan.
Causes like arthritis, specific injuries, or displacement of jaw joint disks might not benefit from trigger point therapy.
However, Dr. James may recommend trigger point injections in addition to other treatments if you experience pain from clenching your jaw or different muscle strains.
No conclusive evidence exists that proves trigger point injections work better than other methods. Instead, many practitioners consider exercising the foundation of any treatment plan, so please discuss all options with Dr.James
How Does TMJ Trigger Point Injections Work?
In a trigger point injection, a numbing agent or steroid is applied to the hyper-tense muscle to increase local circulation, break up muscle tension, and eliminate excessive tenderness. Sometimes merely inserting a needle without medication in several places around the trigger point — a dry needling technique — helps relieve the pain.
Similarly, patients with myofascial pain syndrome have also found acupuncture helpful. This integrative medicine technique involves pricking the skin or tissues with needles at strategic points to treat physical, mental, and emotional conditions.
How Are Trigger Point Injections Performed?
Currently, no designated dental specialty exists for facial pain and TMJ disorders. However, Dr. Leon D James DDS, MBA,MS DABDSM received special training in pain management and can offer treatment recommendations. You might also choose to see a medical professional specializing in pain management, such as rheumatologists or physical medicine and rehabilitation doctors.
Though the exact technique varies, Dr. James usually locates the trigger point manually and marks the site. They will clean the injection site and sometimes use a numbing spray to make the injection less painful. Then, the practitioner will insert the needle into the trigger point and inject the medicine. After the injection, you may use ice, heat, or over-the-counter pain relievers to relieve any discomfort. However, post-injection pain is considered relatively uncommon.