Pain is something that nobody should take for granted. The body feels pain because it signals that something is wrong and that it needs to be taken care of. Sure there are pain relievers that you can buy from your local pharmacy, but if you want to try something else, then you might want to consider dry needling. Learning more about dry needling will help you prepare before your first session.
What is Dry Needling?
“Dry Needling” is an expert technique used by physical therapists to help address pain and mobility restrictions. Also called ‘trigger point dry needling’ or ‘intramuscular manual therapy.’ The therapist uses a “dry” needle without any drugs or injections that are carefully inserted through the skin and into the muscle tissues. Dry needling is backed by studies in modern Western medicine.
Needles Used In Dry Needling
Therapists only use approved dry needling supplies. They use a thin filiform needle to penetrate the skin. Doing so will help stimulate myofascial trigger points, as well as the muscles and connective tissues. The needle allows physical therapists to target tissues that aren’t palpable. Throughout the process, the therapist uses gloves and PPE. Once the treatment is finished, the sharps are collected in a medical collector and are disposed of properly.
Why You Should Try Dry Needling
There are plenty of reasons why you should try dry needling soon. Physical therapists recommend this because it is proven to have plenty of health benefits including the release of pain, ease of acute inflammation, and promoting holistic healing in your body.
- Pain Relief. If you visit your physical therapist due to pain complaints, they may recommend dry needling. This is done by using thin, sterile needles to reach and relieve trigger points. It is used to treat muscle tension, tendonitis, and inflammation. Many who have been suffering from injury pain found dry needling effective.
- Ease Muscle Tightness. Dry needling releases a ‘knot’ or a trigger point in your skeletal muscles. The knot can cause pain and it’s not easy to reach by massage because it’s beyond the muscle it’s in. It’s in a tight region of your skeletal muscles inside a larger muscle group which causes pain.
- Promotes Overall Healing. Other muscle concerns don’t involve trigger points, like rotator cuff injuries, which may also benefit from dry needling. It does not hurt as well since the needle makes a very tiny hole in the tissue, which promotes blood flow and speeds up healing in the problem area.
Dry Needling vs. Acupuncture
One of the misconceptions is that dry needling is the same as acupuncture. They may seem similar since they both involve needles inserted through the skin, but these two techniques are quite different. You have to remember that acupuncture is Chinese medicine technique, while therapeutic dry needling is based on Western medicine.