What is Trigger point Dry Needling?

Dry needling is a treatment, which can be used by physical therapists, To treat muscles knots, trigger points, pain, injury and more. At Salisbury Physical therapy we have helped many in the community of Acworth, Dallas GA and surrounding areas find pain relief and improve their lives. Dry Needling involves the insertion of thin needles into trigger points or muscle knots, aiming to alleviate pain and enhance muscle function.

Is Dry Needling Effective?

The effectiveness of dry needling has been well-documented as well as so many success stories at Salisbury Physical Therapy. By directly addressing trigger points and tight muscles, releasing knots and stimulating the body’s natural healing mechanisms. Many individuals in Acworth and Dallas GA have reported significant improvements in pain reduction, increased range of motion, and enhanced overall quality of life.

How is dry needling different from acupuncture?

This is a common question. Most people think of acupuncture when they see dry needling as there are some visual similarities. They both use a very small needle that is inserted to the muscles and tissue but have a much different approach and reasoning for treatment. At its very basics, and please feel free to research more, acupuncture and treatment is based on meridians and pre-determined acupuncture points and the insertion of these needles to restore the bodies energy. With trigger point dry needling, we are palpating and identifying musculoskeletal restrictions and trigger points and specifically targeting these knots and muscles/fascia to release and having a neural-physiological effect to those specific points identified.

How Does it Work?

Dry Needling works by a few different mechanisms. By getting the muscle to twitch, this stimulates a spinal cord reflex (similar to when you get your knee tapped). The mechanism is not fully understood, but by doing so we see an immediate change in the muscle knot and the chemical environment in the cells to the area. You can think of this like a reset button when your muscles are stuck. Just by virtue of putting the needle into the muscle this stimulates cellular responses that help improve and deal with pain as well as setting certain signals to the cells to started healing the area. By eliminating trigger points, this can also quiet the bodies alarm system and help call the nervous system down with chronic pain and conditions. By improving muscle activation and tension it can reduce stress to joints, tendons and ligaments and help stress to arthritic joints as well. If there are nerve impingement from muscle knots, it can help take pressure of the nerves as well.

What can Dry Needling Help?

Back pain, Neck pain, Arthritis, stenosis, headaches, TMJ pain, chronic pain and conditions, Whiplash, sports injuries, Tendinitis, Tendinosis, plantar fasciitis, any muscle pain or tightness, improve muscle activation, post surgical pain, muscle cramps, nerve pain or entrapment, sciatica and leg pain and more.

What does Dry Needling Feel like?

Because the needle is so small, most people are surprised that you don’t even feel it going in through the skin! You may feel a pressure with it moving around. It can be more intense when the needle hits the trigger point and the muscle will twitch. It feel like a deep ache and release. Most people describe it as weird, different, intense, but tolerable. And typically, though not their favorite feeling the want more because of how they feel afterwards.

How long will it take for dry needling to work and How long does dry needling last?

Most people will see some sort of benefit after one session. Minor strains and pains may resolve with the first one or two sessions. If it is something more severe, if the pain or condition has been going on for a long time or if there are underlying perpetuating factors it can take several weeks to notice a more significant difference. Many times in these more severe cases, other treatments and long term exercise are necessary to more fully resolve and help the pain or difficulty from returning. The aim is for the effect to continue to last and not recur and most people find that this is the case as they implement simple home exercises or stretching in addition to dry needling.

Is Dry Needling better than Massage or Cupping?

That depends. People respond to different types of treatments and sometimes conditions at different times respond in different ways. Massage or soft tissue and cupping both have similar aims and some people may respond to these better during a phase in rehabilitation than dry needling. In general I have found that dry needling is one of the more efficient techniques in accomplishing decreasing trigger points, pain and improving muscle function.

What is negative about Dry Needling or Are there Negative Side effects?

For most people, they will be sore, kind of like you got a flu shot feeling. But this is tolerable for most people and quickly goes away that day or the next. In very rare cases can people have an exaggerated response and become more sensitive or inflamed but over the past decade I can count on one hand the time this has happened. Some people can feel clammy or a little light headed. Sometimes there can be bruising, but most of the time people don’t even bleed. There is very small risk of infection. The more serious thing that can happen from dry needling is a pneumothorax or collapsed lung. This would occur in needling the muscles over the lung field and would require gross negligence on the practitioners part. There are some muscle that are just avoided due to risk of this. For this and all of these at Salisbury Physical Therapy our experts take all the necessary precautions to avoid any of these. If you have any concerns or question please call and speak with our expert and we would be happy to speak with you.

What happens if Dry Needling hits a Nerve?

If a dry needle hits a nerve or gets close to it, you will feel a sensation like you hit your funny bone (which is just pinching your ulnar nerve) and feels like a shock down the arm or leg. Doing so is avoided but sometimes it occurs. The physical therapist will then just adjust the placement and continue with treatment.

Does Insurance Cover Dry Needling?

Sometimes it does and sometimes it does not. We can check your benefits and with your insurance to see if they cover it. If it does not we have options to get you the pain relief you need.

Curious to see what dry needling looks like?Check at this video.