What Is Trigger Point Dry Needle Therapy?
Trigger-point dry needling uses a tiny needle or acupuncture needle placed into the skin and muscle during this technique. It targets hyperirritable areas in skeletal muscle linked with a hypersensitive palpable nodule in a tight band. Trigger point dry needling can be carried out at the superficial or deep tissue levels.
How Does It Benefit You?
The trigger point is an obvious physical source of pain, and it generally consists of many tightened knots in the muscle that feel like tight bands. These “muscle knots” may be uncomfortable, limit mobility and hamper performance. They may also become worse over time if not addressed. Physical therapists employ trigger point dry needling to help people in getting rid of these knots. A sterilized thin filament/acupuncture needle is placed into a tense or painful muscle. It’s dubbed “dry needling” since no chemical is pushed into the body, unlike a steroid injection. A twitch response is triggered when the needle penetrates the knots in a muscle, signifying the painful trigger point’s release or deactivation; this indicates the muscle’s physiological changes at the cellular level to promote calcium absorption, circulation, tissue remodeling and healing.
When combined with other physical therapy treatments, dry needling helps with the following conditions:
- TMJ
- Acute and chronic tendonitis/tendinosis
- Athletic overuse injuries
- Shoulder pain
- Repetitive strain injuries
- Baseball throwing related tightness/discomfort
- Neck and lower back pain
- IT band syndrome
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Headaches and whiplash
- Chronic pain conditions
- Fibromyalgia
- Frozen shoulder
- Ehlers Danlos Syndrome
- Groin and hamstring strains
- Hip pain and knee pain
- Muscle spasms
- Post-traumatic injuries, motor vehicle accidents and work-related injuries
- Sciatic pain
- Tennis/golfer’s elbow
- Many other musculoskeletal conditions
How Long Does It Take To Work?
Improved mobility is always noticed quickly and pain is reduced within 24 hours. A consistent good result is generally obtained after a few treatment sessions (once a week for 2-3 weeks).
5 Essential Benefits Of Trigger Point Dry Needling
- Pain alleviation
Dry needling targets trigger points to help relieve physical discomfort. The needles operate to distribute any tension or
inflammation from the damaged or wounded portion of the body. In addition, the needles assist in triggering chemical changes in the muscles or tissues which may block pain transmission.
- Range of motion improvement
Once pressure, tension, or inflammation in the trigger points are relieved with dry needling, the patient may begin to experience benefits in the damaged region of the body. For a baseball player, dry needling can alleviate discomfort caused by joint aches and enhance the shoulder’s general function following repetitive actions like throwing, catching or pitching the ball. As muscular spasms are decreased, the patient’s range of motion gradually returns to normal.
- Promotes quicker healing
The healing phase for a patient suffering from injuries can be shortened with dry needling because of a better range of motion (and pain reduction). Dry needling enhances healing and full-strength recovery quicker because the needles can stimulate the proteins and collagen which the body needs to mend naturally. This form of treatment and other physical therapy procedures are advised if the patient is anxious to get back to normal physical activity.
- Improves blood circulation
Trigger sites generally have constricted muscles which impede the flow of blood and the distribution of oxygen. The absence of proper circulation can further worsen the injury. Dry needling may clean up this condition and thus increase the body’s oxygenation in certain places.
- Resets your system
Dry needling improves muscle function, decreases pain, and resets the neurological system, helping patients understand their bodies better. It combines with other physical or physiotherapy procedures to completely leverage all available advantages for a person’s overall well-being.
The best trigger point dry needle therapy in the Langley area can be found at Fraser Life. Be sure to visit us online or speak with one of our friendly team members at (778) 278-4755 today.