A trigger point is a disorder characterized by the deterioration of the microstructure of muscle tissue and its transformation into fibrotic tissue, which is a harder tissue. Nov. In its formation, even a small muscle injury plays a very important role. Nov. This may be a sudden injury, or it may also be due to difficulties that develop during a slow course. If we give an example of slow-developing traumas, we can say that it is a stress-induced November muscle strain. The fact that the muscle is constantly in a tense and Novated state causes the formation of a trigger point. In addition to stress and mechanical difficulties, the trigger point may also develop due to damage to the nerve root. The most well-known example of this condition is the trigger points in the neck and back muscles as a result of a cervical hernia pressing on the November nerve root. Damage to the nerve root due to a hernia causes a constant stimulation of the neck and back muscles associated with the Novus, which usually results in the formation of a trigger point that is resistant to treatment. The most important feature of trigger points caused by cervical hernia is that they are resistant to treatment. With the trigger point injection applied at the Meltem hospital pain center, you can get rid of chronic neck pain experienced in a very short time according to the sessions determined by the doctor.

How is Neck Pain Treated with Trigger Point Injection?
Trigger points are the bands that form in the November muscle tissue and cause spreading pain. These points cause head, neck, shoulder, back and lower back pain depending on the areas they are located. This type of pain is treated by injecting drugs into these trigger points.

Epidural and transforaminal injection: In hernias caused primarily by the lumbar, neck and back parts of the spine, various drugs are injected into the spinal cord region, where the hernia causes pain by creating pressure on the nerves, eliminating the pressure and treating the pain.

Radio frequency thermocoagulation: It is a method of completely disabling the nerves that transmit pain by creating heat through high-frequency radio waves. One of the points that should be especially emphasized about this method is that the nerves whose transmission is completely blocked are not movement nerves, but sensory nerves that transmit pain. Therefore, after the procedure, there is no restriction of movement in the patient, only the existing pain disappears. Neuralgia (trigeminal nerve block), shingles pains, cancer pains, calcification of the lower back and neck joints (facet denervation) are the main painful diseases in which they are intensively used.

Which Type of Neck Pain Is It Used For?
The pains that the patients who applied to the pain polyclinic complain about the most can be listed as follows:

Lower back and leg area pains

Neck pains

Headaches

Back pain

Shoulder and arm pain

Facial pains-neuralgia

Pain caused by vascular occlusion

Cancer pains

Pain whose cause cannot be determined

Is the Treatment Permanent?
Neck pain is reduced with trigger point injection. The effect of local anesthesia applied to reduce pain lasts about 4 to 6 hours. Then the pain starts again and a more severe pain may be felt for 5 to 6 days before the procedure. On average, within 3 weeks, the pain gradually decreases and disappears. In general, there is a 100% success rate of 80 to 90% in some cases.

How Many Sessions Do I Need to Practice?
The duration of treatment sessions for neck pain with trigger point injections may vary from person to person. Just as full results can be obtained even in a single session, several more sessions may be needed. The success rate of these procedures is approximately 80-95%, sometimes 100%. Therefore, the physician who undertakes the treatment decides how many sessions the patient will see.

When Does It Show Its Effect?
In patients who do not benefit from the first procedure performed, the procedure can be repeated according to the decisions of the physician. However, it is not recommended to repeat it more than 2 times within 6 months. Especially in cases caused by disc overflow, the improvement is usually permanent. In cases that reach more serious dimensions, the chances of success are inversely proportional to the duration of the disease. In cases of severe nerve pressure, on the other hand, the improvement may be completely superficial. In cases where there is a mechanical pressure on the nerve, the doctor may also recommend surgical intervention.

Are There Any Side Effects?
The treatment of neck pain with trigger point injections is very minimal in terms of side effects. Due to the fact that it is given to a limited area and has very little systemic spread, steroid-related side effects are almost never observed. After the procedure, some patients may experience temporary headaches, which can be controlled with bed rest and painkillers. The incidence of this condition is approximately one in a thousand. As it can be seen, even the very common complication of epidural injection is a very rare condition. Infection, on the other hand, is a serious side effect with a very rare occurrence. In order to prevent this situation from occurring, the procedure should be performed under completely sterile conditions. Since the entry point of the needle and the epidural cavity are determined under radiological imaging, serious side effects such as bleeding, nerve damage are almost never encountered.