What is Dry Needling and is it for me?
Whether you know what dry needling is or not, chances are you’ve heard of it being thrown around the group chat at some time or another. You may have heard it’s an amazing form of treatment or maybe that it wasn’t so great! Either way, let’s have a closer look and answer some of those questions that might be floating around about dry needling.
So what is it?
Dry needling, also known as trigger point needling or western acupuncture depending on the specific technique used, involves the use of acupuncture type needles being introduced into trigger points in muscles to stimulate a ‘twitch’ response resulting in ‘release or relaxation’ of the trigger point… a trigger point being a hyperirritable, taut band of muscle. And what do we mean by dry? Dry needling simply meaning one without medication.
The basis of the technique is to restore normal muscle function and is to be used in conjunction with an exercise program which is also targeted at improving biomechanical impairments leading to muscle dysfunction and myofascial trigger point formation. Thus it is an integrated approach which aims to target the underlying cause for the muscle dysfunction not just treating the result, eg pain.
As this is dry needling and NOT Traditional Acupuncture, the treatment effect relies on different rationale. Your physiotherapist may also use western acupuncture which again is not the same as traditional Chinese Acupuncture. The difference is simply that Chinese Acupuncture is based on traditional medicine practices which use the body’s energy channels or meridians, which are linked to organs and bodily functions to guide treatment. Western acupuncture may use similar points in the body but utilises a different rationale for why it works.
What are the benefits of Dry Needling?
There are a number of proposed benefits of dry needling and the research into this form of treatment has significantly increased over the past 10 years!
Dry needling aims to reduce central sensitisation, also known as the central nervous system’s hypersensitivity to pain, reduce local and referred pain, improve muscle activation patterns leading to improved range of motion and can also result in chemical alterations around myofascial trigger points. These trigger points can occur from unaccustomed muscle loading as well low-load repetitive tasks and sustained postures such as sitting at a desk at work!
So how is it done and what does it feel like?
Dry needling is a sterile technique utilising single use needles, gloves and alcohol wipes to limit the risk of infection. The whole treatment usually only lasts a few minutes and involves the insertion of the needle into the skin which is then fished around to stimulate twitch responses. So is it going to hurt..? Generally, you won’t feel the insertion of the needle. What you will feel is a dull ache which is a good feeling and a twitch in the muscle is a great feeling in regards to treatment efficacy. You may experience a dull ache post therapy and the sensation of a cork feeling which is completely normal and will settle down over the next couple of days at worst. You will often still walk out with reduced sensation of pain despite the dull ache you may experience. To help soften the achy effect you may use ice or heat post treatment.
What are some common conditions dry needling can help with?
Dry needling is super effective for a number of conditions and can show positive effects before you have even left the room. It is often used for acute pain reduction and a ‘reset’ type function to allow for rehabilitative exercises to be more effective and easier to perform.
Some common conditions we use dry needling for include:
- Tennis and golfers elbow
- Hip bursitis and gluteal pain
- Lower back pain
- Shin splints or plantar fasciitis
- Calf strains
- Trapezius pain
- Neck pain or tension headaches
Is dry needling safe?
Dry needling is a very safe treatment when performed by trained professionals and serious side effects are very rare – less than 1 per 10,000 treatments. These can be explained by the treating physiotherapist and do not relate to a number of treatment areas. The technique used is a clean, sterile technique which limits any risk of infection.
As with any treatment there may be some associated side effects which your practitioner will discuss with you and may include drowsiness, nausea or minor bleeding or bruising.
Is it a one session fixes all type treatment?
Like any physiotherapy treatment you will be required to perform some corrective exercises along with the dry needling. Often the dry needle will reduce the pain from the local issue but does not necessarily fix the root cause of the problem. This is where the exercises come in. Like any injury or condition this may require a few sessions to teach the body how to operate effectively and reduce the likelihood that the condition or injury will return! For some clients including athletes you may prefer to come in for maintenance type therapy and utilising dry needling to help reduce muscle tightness or to stay on top of known problem areas.
Can it be used for everyone?
Almost! Dry needling is suitable for most people but like most therapies there are some more high risk patients who we would be less likely to utilise this treatment for. Some of these patients include those who are in their first trimester of pregnancy, have blood clotting disorders, patients at higher risk of infection for example post-surgery and those who have a phobia of needles!
So hopefully you’re now better informed as to whether or not dry needling would be a good treatment addition for you! If that’s the case come in and see us or if you have any further questions as to whether it is beneficial for you give us a call on 9871 2022 or 9672 6752.
