Trigger Point Injections
Trigger points are hyperirritable spots in tight bands of muscles that cause discomfort. This discomfort restricts movement and causes muscle weakness as well as referred or radiating pain that spreads to other areas. Symptoms of trigger points can include burning, tingling, aching, sharpness, tightness, pins, and needles, aching, dullness, and tenderness. Trigger points can also manifest in a wide range of ailments including low back and neck pain.
Trigger point injections contain a combination of two local anesthetics: lidocaine and bupivacaine. These medications vasodilate the vessels of the muscle allowing more blood flow to the muscle. This in turn provides more oxygen and nutrients, supplying the muscle with the needed nourishment that it has been lacking while it was tight and “bound up.” In addition to vasodilation, the use of the needle for the injections creates pathways for the blood to flow into the trigger point and supply it with the oxygen and nutrients it has been craving.
Chiropractic Care
The efficacy of chiropractic care has been well known for over a century, with numerous studies showing the practice to be effective in treating back pain, neck pain, disc issues, and more. It’s an ancient art and science, with manipulations performed by Hippocrates dating back to the 4th Century B.C.
At Pain Relief Partners, Dr. Tom Kessinger utilizes a variety of treatment modalities to treat pain associated with the spine. One of the tools he commonly uses during a treatment session is arthrostim. Arthrostim is like a “little jackhammer” that is able to mobilize the joints without straining the joint or causing the patient discomfort. Many patients have degenerative disc disease, stenosis, or arthritis in their back and neck, and aggressive, quick adjustments can be painful or harmful to their spine. The arthrostim is used to gently adjust the joints and provide patients with relief and increased mobility. Many of our patients enjoy the treatment and the great response that the treatment brings without the “cracking” associated with a traditional manual adjustment.
Cervical And Lumbar Decompression
Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression is an FDA-cleared computerized treatment for treatment of the neck (cervical) and lower back (lumbar) spine. The treatment has been clinically proven to have an 86% success rate for pain due to herniated discs, degenerative disc disease, bulging discs, and many others. Many people quickly think of surgery when there is disc involvement in the spine but now there is another option that is extremely effective at treating the cause of the pain.
With disc compression, the disc bulges or herniates and can press, crush, flatten, and bruise the spinal cord and nerve roots. The disc becomes compressed due to arthritis, degeneration, or injury. Decompression stretches the spine and disc in a unique way creating negative pressure in the disc. The negative pressure causes a vacuum-like effect pulling the disc material back into the middle of the disc which takes the pressure off of the nerve. In other words, this reverses the compression of the disc, also known as decompression. Clinical research shows that Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression improves biomechanics in the spinal disc, provides significant pain relief, and improves the overall function of the spine.
If you are experiencing pain or discomfort in your neck and/or back call Pain Relief Partners to make an appointment and ask to learn more about the non-invasive treatments they have available.
