If you are like most people, you have probably heard of acupuncture, but have you heard of dry needling therapy and how physical therapy clinics use it to help you? Reputable clinics such as Ahwatukee physical therapy can offer these specialized services for specific injuries or pain treatments. This is what you should know.
What is Dry Needling?
Have you heard of trigger points? These are areas of your body that become knotted or tender and cause pain or movement challenges. You may feel pain just from someone touching the area. Referred pain occurs when you hurt near a trigger point.
Dry needling targets these trigger points to release the tightness. The therapist will insert a tiny, sharp needle into your trigger point to cause twitching or contracting within the muscle. You won’t receive any form of medication during this treatment, hence the name “dry needling.” The needles do not inject anything. They simply target your trigger points.
How Does Dry Needling Treatment Work?
If you have knotted muscles, which involve muscle spasms that can cause minor discomfort or major pain and tenderness in your body, your physical therapist may suggest dry needling treatments in addition to other therapies, such as stretching and targeted exercises to strengthen your muscles and improve your flexibility and range of motion.
When you go to physical therapy Tempe for dry needling treatments, the needles inserted into your trigger points will cause them to contract or twitch. In fact, the needle creates stimulation in your nerve. When this stimulation occurs, your pain signals become disrupted by the release of endorphins from the nerve. This encourages the muscle to release its tension. It also improves blood flow to the area. As the muscle relaxes and begins to heal, it also reduces your pain levels.
Key Benefits of Dry Needling Treatment
Dry needling techniques can nearly immediately relieve pain. Because they specifically target the nerves and knots in your muscles, the release of this tension can feel almost miraculous. In addition, when the blood flows to the area, it draws the acidic waste from the knot and gives the area the oxygen and nutrients it needs. This allows the release of localized pain and encourages the reduction of chronic pain.
You should also experience accelerated recovery. If you received an injury and have pain as a result, releasing these trigger points allows much better blood flow to the area. Whether you have a minor injury or one that requires surgery, your physician likely suggested or prescribed physical therapy, which aids in your recovery. Adding dry-needling therapies can accelerate this process.
Because it releases tension and pain, dry needling can also improve your range of motion. Tight, weak or painful muscles can discourage movement, but as you release these muscles and block the pain through endorphin release, you can begin moving more easily.
Most physical therapists won’t suggest that dry needling is a cure-all. In fact, this therapy will likely be part of a larger treatment program that includes strengthening and stretching your muscles as well as massaging the injured area. Contact reputable physical therapy Surprise AZ to learn more about how dry needling can help you.
