Dry Needling
Dry Needling and Electro Dry Needling
What is dry needling?
Dry Needling is a form of therapy in which fine needles are inserted into myofascial trigger points (painful knots in muscles), tendons, ligaments, or near nerves to stimulate a healing response in painful musculoskeletal conditions. Dry Needling is not acupuncture or Oriental Medicine, and it doesn’t have the purpose of altering the flow of energy(“Q”). In fact, dry Needling is a modern, science-based intervention for treating pain and dysfunction in musculoskeletal conditions.
Dry Needling can have a wide range of effects on musculoskeletal systems, including mechanical, hypoalgesic (central, segmental, peripheral), neurophysiological, chemical, and hormonal effects on the human body. The outcome of the dry needling treatment depends on how the therapist utilizes the best available evidence-based treatment approaches in selecting the needling dose (i.e., frequency, intensity, and duration) and what conditions and reason for the treatment. Not all neuromusculoskeletal dysfunctions respond well to dry Needling, and the treatment efficacy may vary with a patient.
Dry Needling can be a smooth process if performed by a well-trained therapist. The initial insertion of the needle does not usually cause any discomfort. After inserting a needle, a local twitch response may cause a brief painful reaction – some patients describe this as an electric shock or a cramping sensation. It is important to remember that the therapeutic effect only occurs by eliciting the twitch response; therefore, it is the desired reaction. Dry Needling is a safe and effective treatment and has excellent benefits in treating Musculoskeletal issues.
The Benefits of Dry Needling include:
- Reducing Pain through increased Analgesic Effect through Biochemical mediation
- Reducing Muscle Tension by relaxing the muscle
- Improving Joint Mobility by relaxing surrounding muscles
- Eliminating Trigger Points by producing Biochemical and Biomechanical stimulation.
- Restoring Muscle Strength by stimulating cellular response, including cytoskeletal rearrangement and modulation of afferent sensory input by changing the connective tissue milieu .
- Improve potential down stream effects ( e.g. increase gene expression , synthesis and local release of growth factors , cytokines , vasoactive substances and structural matrix elements in surrounding connective cells .)
- Improve microcirculation to the tissue for long-term healing
What types of needles are used?
Single-use, disposable needles are used at Shiva Physical Therapy.
What is Electro Dry Needling?
Electro Dry Needling is a modern technique in dry needling which utilizes an electro-stimulation to deliver electric currents through the needles to have additional effects through prolonged stimulation of nerves or muscles. The electro-Dry needling works by blocking nerve pathways, preventing pain signals from traveling to the brain, and having an analgesic and anesthetic effect.
Electro Dry needling uses Low-frequency currents that are thought to improve the physiological effects by raising the endorphins release to help with pain relief than that obtained with standard dry needling in patients. During Electro Dry Needling treatment, the patient may experience twitching, contractions, numbness, or tingling in the area being treated. The therapist consistently monitors the frequency and intensity to avoid pain or discomfort.
Electro Dry needling is contracted in patients with cardiac pacemakers or other electric implants, pregnant women, or trying to get pregnant, and other general Dry Needling contraindications may apply.
Electro Dry Needling is commonly used to treat Acute and Chronic neuromusculoskeletal pain conditions.
Here at Shiva Physical Therapy, we aim to get patients back to a pain-free and fulfilling life. We are able to integrate the latest research and implement it into clinical practice by utilizing dry needling treatment . It is one of the many ways that sets us apart from other clinics and proves that we are dedicated to giving each patient the best care possible.