Trigger point injections

For the treatment of

Chronic pain

Commissioning position

This intervention is not routinely commissioned and therefore should not be routinely offered to patients. Application for funding approval can be made, using the IFR process, by the clinician recommending the intervention, if their assessment is that there are exceptional reasons why their patient could benefit from it.

Summary of rationale

Identification of trigger points depends on the subjective assessment of a clinician and there are no objective clinical tests in routine use or any imaging criteria to determine the location of trigger points. There is a lack of high-quality evidence of clinical effectiveness to support the use of trigger point injections with corticosteroids +/- local anaesthetic. NICE guidance (NG193) recommends that these injections are not initiated.

References

NG193 Chronic pain (primary and secondary) in over 16s: assessment of all chronic pain and management of chronic primary pain (NICE)

Associated Pathways

Acromioclavicular (AC) joint pain York Anterior knee pain York Back pain (acute motor loss) York Back pain (cauda equina syndrome) York

Specialties

Pain York Pain North Yorkshire

Places covered by

  • East Riding
  • Hull
  • North East Lincolnshire
  • North Lincolnshire
  • North Yorkshire
  • Vale of York
Date created: 08/07/2025, 11:52
Last modified: 20/08/2025, 14:28
Date of review: 7/31/28