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Apr 06
2017

If you’ve been suffering with any type of chronic pain that won’t go away, you now have a new option in your journey to health and wellness to combat the pain. Dry needling might be the solution for you. Here, we will outline some common conditions that dry needling can help, and let you know who can benefit from dry needling. We’ll also help answer briefly what it is.

Dry needling is a procedure where filament needles are injected in a person’s trigger points. The trigger points that are in different muscles on the body respond to the pressure from the needles. These muscles discharge muscle pressure when triggered by a needle, assisting to lower the pain a person is feeling. The relaxation of muscles is additionally induced by allowing pressure on some pressure points.

Overuse, injury, stress or bad posture can all cause areas of pain in our body that can be described as “trigger points” or “knots.” Dry needling focuses treatment on these trigger points, causing the muscle to respond, release and is often accompanied by a relief in pain.

Who Can Benefit From Dry Needling

Here are some common conditions that dry needling can help:

Tension Headaches

Headaches, migraines and tension headaches can be debilitating. If you suffer from any of these, you may see benefits from dry needling. This treatment will be used to stimulate a trigger point in your body and could possibly relieve pain right away. Dry needling will try to release any kind of tight muscle band in your body that might be associated with any trigger point in your neck or upper shoulders.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Hand pain, numbness, burning, pain or swelling can all be indications of carpal tunnel syndrome. Carpal tunnel syndrome can develop during pregnancy, because of arthritis or with repetitive hand movements. Receiving dry needling therapy to help combat carpal tunnel will consist of targeting trigger points within muscles regularly associated with carpal tunnel syndrome.

Tendonitis

Tendons connect muscles to bones. Tendonitis is a painful inflammation of your tendons that can be caused by injuries or repetitive movements. If you’ve heard of tennis elbow or swimmer’s shoulder, you’ve heard of tendonitis. Dry needling can help offer relief for this condition by directly targeting the trigger points that are causing this pain, wherever it may be; likely in your knees, shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, hands or heels.

Reducing Pain

Dry needling can help to reduce pain immediately or over several sessions. Remember also that this kind of treatment might be very effective at releasing any kind of pain from a trigger point, and this beneficial treatment can be used by your physical therapist right away.

If you suffer from headaches, migraines, tendonitis or carpal tunnel syndrome, dry needling can be an effective form of treatment to help alleviate your pain. Your physical therapist can use this treatment on a regular basis so you can get rid of your muscle pain in no time.

Additionally, those who can benefit from dry needling include people suffering with:

• Neck pain
• Arm pain
• Back pain
• Sciatica
• Post surgical pain
• Spasms
• Plantar fasciitis
• Cancer pain

If you are curious about what this treatment can do for you and the future of your health, contact us at Above and Beyond Physical Therapy today.