Pain is needless, fix it with needles!
Our Guide to Dry Needling.
If you have had traditional therapies such as massage, electrotherapy and manual therapies to manage your injuries and you would like a change – why not consider dry needling? Muscle spasm, headache or pain in your muscles? Dry needling is a form of acupuncture which is evidence-based and effective at managing a range of problems. If you don’t know too much about the dry needling process then let us guide you through what to expect.
Physiotherapy@Woodbridge, Vaughan offers Dry Needling sessions to help improve a range of symptoms – read on to find out more.
What is Dry Needling?
Acupuncture is a form of traditional Chinese medicine and therapy which involves the insertion of micro-fine needles into the skin and soft tissues. The Chinese believe in energy pathways and insertion points that can improve pain and correct dysfunction in the body. Dry needling is similar but works off a more evidence-based theory.
When a fine filament needle is inserted into the centre of a myofascial trigger point, blood pools around the needle triggering the contracted muscle fibres to relax by providing those fibres with fresh oxygen and nutrients, as well as by flushing away any waste product. Needle insertion has been shown to help relax muscle tension and reduce soreness of trigger points to help improve pain levels and improve physical performance.
What Conditions Can Dry Needling Treat?
Treatment with dry needling can help with these common problems:
- Neck Pain & Whiplash
- Shoulder Impingement
- Tennis/Golfers Elbow
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
- Headaches
- Knee Pain & Shin Splints
- Plantar Fasciitis
- Lower Back Pain
The benefits of this treatment include reducing pain and to relax muscles which are in spasm. Stimulating muscle fibres if they are underactive to help improve your performance or assist in a rehabilitation process. Other benefits include reducing the sensitivity of muscle tissue in chronic pain conditions such as fibromyalgia and it can contribute to remodelling scar tissue post-injury. Dry needling is not all just about the physical benefits – it can leave you in a relaxed state which can aid stress reduction and relaxation.
What is Involved?
The process is simple and straight forward. Following a pre-assessment screen from your physiotherapist to ensure you are safe for dry needling you will then be placed in a comfortable position on the treatment bed. In a hygienic environment, you will be cleaned with an antibacterial wipe to ensure the needles are inserted into clean skin. Needles will be inserted into areas that are necessary to your issue and any other points your physiotherapist may think is relevant. The needles will be used to provoke the muscle. There may be a twitch response from your muscles which is an involuntary movement. The process does cause some pain but this is manageable.
The benefits of this treatment far outweigh any discomfort you may feel. Your therapist will be able to advise you on how many sessions you may need as each problem varies – some issues finding success with fewer sessions than others. It has a great success rate and everyones experience differs from person to person.
Need More Info?
If you would like to learn more about dry needling at Physiotherapy@Woodbridge then please take a look at our dry needling webpage which provides more information. You can also give us a call or book an appointment online with one of our physiotherapists. This is a great treatment if you have a high pain level and feel you cannot tolerate traditional forms of physiotherapy. This alternative form of treatment can help you to get past your pain and progress.
