Trigger point injections can be used to treat local areas of muscle pain and spasms. They are commonly injected to areas defined as tight muscle bands or knots of the muscle which are painful. These painful muscle knots are often found in the shoulders, neck, low back, buttocks, and thighs. These trigger points can often mimic pain that people feel from pinched nerves in the neck or back. Medications used during an injection into these painful muscles include local anesthetics with steroids. Many times more than one injection is given at one time to the various sites of painful muscles. Trigger point injections are sometimes repeated in a series depending upon the amount of relief that is achieved from the injection.