If you are an athlete or someone who regularly exercises, getting the effective care you need after an unexpected accident can be challenging. In any case, you should be concerned.
Dry needling may help you find relief from different problematic conditions’ symptoms due to its numerous benefits. Its method has gained widespread acceptance for treating conditions associated with mild to severe pain and restricted movement.
If you want to try out this treatment procedure, schedule an appointment with a legitimate physiotherapy clinic in Singapore to see if this therapy could help you.
In this post, you will learn about some medical conditions that can be treated with dry needling, including chronic pain, back pain, neck pain, headaches, and more.
What Exactly Is Dry Needling?
Qualified chiropractic physicians and physical therapists use dry needling to manage neuromusculoskeletal injuries and discomfort while addressing movement dysfunction. The technique is accomplished by inserting fragile needles into specific points on the body.
Dry needling is a popular physiotherapy technique. It involves inserting a small, thin needle with a filiform tip into the skin, fascia (refers to the tissue that connects muscle), and muscles to treat adhesions, trigger points, and connective tissue.
This expedites the healing process and provides pain relief by reducing the hypertonicity of the muscles, improving the joint range of motion, and correcting movement dysfunction caused by the release of a trigger point adhesion.
The Basics of Dry Needling
Although dry needling and acupuncture are somewhat comparable, there are significant distinctions. Dry needling is a sort of myofascial trigger-point therapy performed in a safe and sterile setting under the supervision of licenced medical doctors, chiropractors, physical therapists, or acupuncturists.
Dry needling is also known as trigger point dry needling. It is only prescribed in cases where it is essential, but it can quickly help to enhance your range of motion after soft tissue damage or injury causes your muscles to become sore or tight.
Dry needling is distinct from other forms of treatment because it targets specific trigger points and works to relieve pain by releasing tension there. Trigger points are painful knots found all over your body and can limit your range of motion, in addition to causing substantial discomfort. When a thin, sterile needle is inserted into one of these trigger points, your muscles will tighten, and then they will rapidly relax, swiftly alleviating the most apparent symptoms.
However, there are more advantages gained by trigger point needling. Dry needling, when practiced over time, can deliver psychological benefits, such as mood improvement and stress reduction.
To do dry needling, the practitioner must have an extensive understanding of both skeletal and neuroanatomy. With this knowledge, one can recognize wounded and overused tissues, trigger points, taut bands, trigger issues, and damaged and sensitive tissues.
Practitioners of dry needling perform a thorough assessment. This exam may involve mobility analysis, orthopedic evaluation, and a neurological workup that may include ‘myotomal’ and ‘dermatomal’ testing.
Is It painful?
Dry needling is a method of treating pain and accelerating healing by inserting a fine needle into the skin, fascia, and muscles to target adhesions, trigger points, and connective tissue. Many patients might feel slight discomfort during treatment and up to 24 hours afterward.
A fast-twitch reaction causes brief discomfort but quickly fades away. After a session of dry needling, some muscle pain is expected. Muscular pain can be shortened by consuming plenty of fluids, stretching, keeping active, and applying heat to the affected areas. Mild muscle discomfort and bruising are possible side effects.
The Twitch Response
A ‘twitch response’ refers to the muscle twitching during the dry needling treatment. It happens when a defective muscle group reacts to palpation, or in this example, a dry needle, in a localised, reactive fashion. This is one of the desired effects of needling a trigger point because it causes a fast relaxation of a stiff muscular band and thus reduces localized muscle tension and pain.
A tight muscle, particularly one with a trigger point, can cause pain, and you may even experience twitching or cramping. By releasing chemical mediators stored at the trigger point and re-establishing blood flow, the twitch response restores the muscle to its natural state.
If the twitch disappears after treatment, that could be a good sign. The local twitch response is an involuntary contraction caused by a reflex in the spinal cord that is activated by a sudden palpation or needle insertion. If the patient twitches uncontrollably, the needle is in the right place.
Common Conditions Treated with Dry Needling
Needling of trigger points is a technique that can reduce the severity of painful and otherwise bothersome symptoms associated with various diseases.
Here is a list of conditions that dry needling treats:
1. Myofascial pain
Myofascial pain syndrome is a term that is used to describe the condition in which a person suffers from aching muscles and trigger points. These issues most frequently manifest themselves in the arm and the neck.
An extremely thin needle is used in the procedure known as dry needling, which involves pushing the needle through the skin in order to stimulate a trigger point. A reduction in discomfort as well as an improvement in functional capacity may result from using dry needling to loosen the tight muscular bands associated with trigger points.
2. Disk and back problems
A physical therapist will perform dry needling on a painful trigger point by inserting thin filiform needles into the area. These needles are similar to the ones used in acupuncture.
The trigger point is stimulated by moving the needles in a gentle motion, and this encourages blood flow to the area, which may help relax the tense muscles. Researchers believe that the method suppresses pain impulses; nevertheless, they are unsure of the specific mechanism through which dry needling alleviates pain.
3. Whiplash
Acupuncture treatment with dry needling can be very beneficial in the management of whiplash symptoms. The protocol for treating this condition is the same as the one used for treating cervical nerve strain syndrome.
To reiterate, it is necessary to use both targeted and nonspecific treatments. Both local and systemic treatments are needed in equal measure.
4. Migraine headaches
In dry needle treatment, very small needles are inserted into “trigger points,” which are localized areas of tight muscle or bands of tight muscle, in order to relieve the tension that has built up in these areas of the muscle. These “trigger sites,” which are also known as tight spots, are frequently involved in migraines and tension headaches.
5. Joint problems
Dry needling loosens tight muscles, eases joint discomfort, and improves blood flow to the affected area. It accomplishes these goals by causing knotted muscles to contract and relax, which in turn loosens the muscles. Dry needling has proven to be an effective treatment for orthopedic patients suffering from knee pain, shoulder discomfort, hip pain, and/or back pain.
6. Carpal tunnel syndrome
It reduces the amount of pressure exerted by tight bands in the hand. Dry needling is a treatment option for carpal tunnel syndrome since the condition is caused by pressure being applied to the median nerve in the wrist.
Dry needling can remove this pressure. Carpal ligaments that are being compressed can be stretched and relaxed by inserting needles into the afflicted area as well as the surrounding area.
7. Tendonitis
This physiotherapy technique has been shown to be effective in reducing both pain and discomfort.
A small needle is inserted by a physical therapist who has received specialized training in order to promote healing, relieve tendinitis and inflammation, and/or release muscular tension.
Final Thoughts
Dry needling has proven to be a successful treatment technique for various medical conditions, including acute and chronic pain, decreased flexibility, joint dysfunction, and post-exercise rehabilitation. If you try this treatment, you’ll find that it drastically simplifies your life!
