The Importance of Trigger Point Injections After a Colorado Car Accident

What are trigger point injections? Trigger point injections are used to relieve chronic muscle pain and spasms that develop after trauma. They provide important evidence an injury is real, persistent, and serious enough to require interventional treatment. When a patient undergoes trigger point injections after an accident, it signals that conservative treatment alone was not enough and that pain significantly interfered with daily function, work ability and rehabilitation.

Many accident victims experience muscle spasms and deep muscular knots following trauma, especially in the neck, shoulders, upper or lower back. These tight, contracted muscle bands — known as trigger points — can cause constant localized pain as well as referred pain into the arms, legs, or head. After car collisions, falls, or other injuries, trigger points may become chronic due to inflammation, nerve irritation, scar tissue, or compensatory movement patterns. When pain persists despite physical therapy, medication or chiropractic care, physicians may recommend trigger point injections to break the pain cycle and help restore functional movement.

When are Trigger Point Injections Recommended After an Accident?

Trigger point injections are minimally invasive procedures in which a physician injects a small amount of local anesthetic (with or without corticosteroid) directly into the painful muscle knot responsible for spasms or restricted movement. The goal is to relax the muscle, reduce pain and restore normal function.

Trigger point injections are considered appropriate when:

• A patient has persistent muscle tightness, cramping or spasm that does not improve with stretching, physical therapy, heat, massage or medication.
• Pain radiates from a tight muscular band into other regions (for example, shoulder pain radiating into the upper arm or headaches triggered from the neck).
• Muscle tension limits the ability to perform daily activities, sleep comfortably or return to work.
• Pain prevents progress in physical therapy due to muscle guarding or hypersensitivity.
• The patient has trigger points confirmed by physical exam with palpable nodules or localized tenderness.

Unlike epidural or facet injections that target spine structures, trigger point injections specifically relieve muscular dysfunction, making them especially valuable in whiplash and soft-tissue injury cases.

Do Trigger Point Injections Improve Participation in Rehabilitation?

Yes. One of the most important benefits of trigger point injections is that they enable much more effective participation in physical therapy and active rehabilitation. After trauma, pain often causes patients to avoid movement, which leads to stiffening, spasm and further pain in a self-reinforcing cycle.

When trigger point injections reduce muscular guarding, patients can:

• Tolerate stretching and strengthening exercises more effectively.
• Improve posture, alignment and biomechanics.
• Increase range of motion in the neck, shoulders, or spine.
• Prevent the development of chronic pain conditions or compensatory injuries.

For legal purposes, this connection is critical. If records show the patient attempted conservative care, experienced limited progress due to pain and then improved functionally after trigger point injection treatment, it supports medical necessity and proves legitimate injury impact.

Will Medical Records Support a Claim When Trigger Point Injections Are Needed?

Yes — trigger point injection documentation can strongly support injury severity in a personal injury claim. Records usually include:

• Documented trigger points on physical examination.
• Progression of conservative treatment and lack of full response.
• Procedure notes detailing location, medication and response.
• Pain scales and functional descriptions before and after injections.
• Recommendations for additional treatment or imaging if needed.

This creates a clear treatment timeline that insurers and juries can understand. It demonstrates the injury did not resolve with routine care and required higher-level medical intervention.

When adjusters try to argue that soft-tissue injuries are insignificant, evidence of interventional procedures makes that argument difficult.

Risks and Potential Side Effects of Trigger Point Injections

Trigger point injections are generally safe, but they are still medical procedures that involve risk. Common side effects may include:

• Temporary soreness or bruising at the injection site.
• Mild bleeding or localized swelling.
• Temporary increase in pain before improvement occurs.
• Feeling of pressure or tightness after medication is injected.

Less common but more serious complications may include:

• Infection.
• Nerve irritation.
• Allergic reaction to anesthetic or corticosteroid.

From a litigation standpoint, the fact that a patient agreed to undergo a procedure with risks, cost and discomfort strongly reinforces the authenticity and seriousness of their pain.

How Trigger Point Injections Fit Into an Overall Treatment Plan

Trigger point injections usually occur in the early-to-mid range of the treatment progression, after evaluation and conservative care but before more aggressive intervention. A typical treatment sequence may look like:

Evaluation → Physical therapy or chiropractic → Heat/ice/medication → Massage or manual therapy → Trigger point injections → Continued rehabilitation

If the patient improves temporarily but symptoms return, additional injections or a more comprehensive pain-management or orthopedic examination may follow.

A documented progression through this pathway creates one of the strongest narratives for proving medical necessity, effort and legitimacy of disability.

What Is the Expected Cost of Trigger Point Injections?

Costs vary based on the facility, provider, region and number of muscles treated per session. Trigger point injection cost generally ranges from approximately $150 to $500 per session, with multiple sessions sometimes needed.

Payment methods may include:

• Auto insurance MedPay
• Health insurance
• Workers’ compensation
• Letter of protection or lien arrangement

These expenses increase the economic component of damages and reinforce that ongoing medical care was needed and financially impactful.

How Trigger Point Injections Can Be Presented as Evidence of Serious Injury

Trigger point injections are persuasive evidence because they clearly show that:

• Pain was not temporary or minor.
• Daily function, work and movement were significantly impaired.
• Conservative care failed to resolve symptoms.
• Advanced treatment was medically necessary.
• The patient was proactive and committed to recovery.

This connects medical records directly to everyday reality — something juries and adjusters understand well. If injections help temporarily but the patient continues to suffer limitations, that may also support a permanent impairment finding, which has major settlement implications.

Will an Expert Witness Be Needed?

In many cases, an expert witness such as a physiatrist, pain management specialist or orthopedic physician strengthens the argument for necessity and causation, particularly if:

• Imaging is relatively normal.
• The defense blames pre-existing degenerative findings.
• The insurer disputes the need for interventional care.

Experts explain the pathophysiology of muscle injury, why pain persists after trauma and how trigger point injections interrupt the cycle of chronic pain.

What Is the Average Settlement Value in Cases Involving Trigger Point Injections?

There is no single standard value for settlement in cases requiring trigger point injections because it depends on severity, duration, additional treatment, permanent impairment, work restrictions and venue. However, cases involving trigger point injections typically resolve for higher settlement figures than cases with only physical therapy or medication.

Key settlement-value drivers include:

• Escalation from conservative to interventional treatment.
• Documented pain that interferes with employment or daily life.
• The need for repeat injections demonstrating chronic injury.
• Whether pain persists, supporting permanency or future treatment estimates.

When trigger point injections are part of a comprehensive pain-management plan with imaging findings and expert testimony, they can substantially increase case value and non-economic damages.

Why Trigger Point Injections Matter in Personal Injury Cases

Trigger point injections matter because they identify and treat real pain that developed after trauma, and they document the extent of injury in a credible and measurable way. They demonstrate the seriousness of a soft-tissue injury, strengthen causation, and reinforce the legitimacy of pain-related disability.

Trigger point injections in personal injury cases bridge the evidentiary gap between subjective pain complaints and objective medical action — and they help injured people regain control of their lives.

Contact Colorado’s Top Personal Injury Law Firm

If you required trigger point injections in personal injury cases, you are dealing with more than a routine soft-tissue injury. Our legal team understands the importance of documenting interventional treatment and presenting that medical evidence convincingly to insurers, mediators, and juries. Contact our office today to discuss your case and protect your right to full compensation for pain, lost function and long-term impact.

Contact our office today to speak with an attorney who understands spine injuries, interventional pain management, and the medical evidence needed to obtain full and fair compensation for your injuries, medical bills, and long-term suffering. Our legal team is committed to fighting for those whose lives have been disrupted by injury and pain — and we are here to help you rebuild. Contact the top-rated personal injury law firm in Colorado to get a free consultation with one of our car accident attorneys. We serve Colorado including Denver, Colorado Springs, Boulder, and Fort Collins.