There is another way to address your pain without toxic pills and steroid injections. Think of sports massage, acupuncture and a deep stretch technique all in one visit with a health practitioner that finally listens to what’s really going on inside. Advanced Physical Therapists are using a modern technique that addresses the root cause of people’s pain: trigger points.
If you have ever had a knot along your shoulder or tightness along a muscle that a massage therapist has not been able to resolve long term, it may be a trigger point. Trigger points can sometimes refer to different areas of the body and cause common pain syndromes similar to tension headaches, rotator cuff strain, low back pain, even sometimes what may feel like sciatica .
At C+C Dry Needling in Austin, Texas, we specialize in Trigger Point Dry Needling Therapy.
Herniated discs, knotted muscles and back strains are extremely painful conditions that medicine alone may not be able to relieve.
These types of pains are known as trigger points, or myofascial pain syndrome, since they “trigger” pain which then spreads to other parts of the body, making movement unbearable.
Health care practitioners have begun using a physiotherapy technique, known as dry needling, to release these types of tension from the affected muscles.
What Is Trigger Point Dry Needling Therapy?
It is a physical therapy modality in which thin filiform needles (the same needles used in acupuncture) are inserted into muscles to elicit a twitch response . As opposed to wet needing or trigger point medicine injections done by a Dr, dry needling is a less invasive procedure and can take as little as 10 minutes to perform. Basically, dry needling is instrument assisted manual therapy by a Physical Therapist (PT).
Does Dry needling hurt?
The goal of dry needling is to create a twitch response and depolarize the muscle membrane. During the treatment, needles are slowly inserted into the tight muscle, gently manipulated, and removed after a short period of time, and repeated in other muscles on different parts of the body if needed. Here, the tight fascia, ball of tissue we feel like a knot, is disrupted. Most people say its surprising but not painful. People that are afraid of needles elect to not have it done, and we treat the pain in different ways without the needles.
How often should one have this done?
Dry needling decreases pain, improved muscle elasticity and can improve the performance of the muscle. Once a week is very effective. Some people’s pain resolves within the first 2 & visist, and don’t need to be dry needled again. The number of treatments is really a case-by-case basis.It is important that the physical therapist review proper biomechanics and exercise routine so the patient does not have the problem return.
What Are The Benefits of Dry Needling?
- Increases blood flow to the muscle
- reduces muscle spasm
- facilitates more muscle to fire
- Improved range of motion
Examples of conditions that dry needling can help
- muscle spasms
- tension headaches
- IT band syndrome
- low back pain
- carpel tunnel
- plantar fasciitis
- shoulder tendonitis
- tennis elbow/ Golfers elbow
- Fibromyalgia
- Joint pain
So its acupuncture?
No. Acupuncturists and Chinese medicine have been around for thousands of years and very effective of treating meridians.If you only compared dry needling and acupuncture with a photo, you might be stumped to identify each, but acupuncture is designed to relieve pain, discomfort, or issues by opening up a person’s energy flow or chi. Dry needling is designed to stimulate and ‘reset’ trigger points, or muscles that are irritable.
Watch This Video of Dry Needling The Shoulder At C & C Dry Needling in ATX
Can I get dry needling by anyone who is certified?
Is Dry Needling Safe?
It’s needles poking into your skin, so it would be weird if you didn’t question its safety. Physical therapists have 7+ years of schooling, plus know their anatomy very well. That said, you won’t be administered any anesthetic or drug, so there’s no risk of ingesting anything harmful. Needles are sterile, so no blood borne pathogens.
Side effects may include mild spotting caused by the needle, some bruising and residual soreness. These symptoms shouldn’t last more than two days. If you have a really low pain threshold, then you may sweat or faint. Please be vocal and stop the session.
If you are ask for “where’s dry needling near me?” and you live in Austin, TX, we recommend you schedule an appointment with us, by clicking here.
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