Is Pain needling at you? Dry needling explained!
Dry needling is a treatment offered at Heale’s Chiropractic Clinics, and I am embarrassed to say, before writing this article, I knew truly little about it!
Let me explain what dry needling is and how it fits into the dynamics of the treatments offered at our clinics.
What is dry needling?
Whilst the name in itself sounds quite intimidating, this treatment is an accessible and commonly offered therapy for people with muscle, ligament, or tendon pain.
It involves inserting acupuncture needles into tight knots or bands in the muscles also known as trigger points, to help manage the pain of musculoskeletal disorders, inflammation, and osteoarthritis.
Trigger Points
As previously mentioned, a trigger point is a local band of tight, irritable, and dysfunctional muscle tissue. This often occurs due to an injury, overuse, or poor movement patterns.
Trigger points can disrupt muscle function, restrict range of motion and cause pain and tenderness.
These trigger points are extremely sensitive and can be painful when touched. Sometimes a trigger point may be near the location of the pain, but they are also often the cause of referred pain – a pain that affects another part of the body.
When dry needling is applied to an affected muscle or trigger point, it can decrease muscle tightness, increase blood flow, and reduce pain.
How does dry needling work?
When muscles are overused or injured, they go into an energy crisis where the muscle fibres aren’t getting enough blood supply. When they don’t get the normal blood supply, they don’t get the oxygen and nutrients needed to allow the muscles to go back to their normal resting state.
When this happens, the tissue near the trigger point becomes more acidic, the nerves become more sensitive, which in turn makes the area sore and painful.
Stimulating a trigger point with a needle helps to draw the normal blood supply back to flush the area of toxins and release tension. The prick sensation can also fire off nerve fibres that stimulate your brain to release endorphins, your body’s natural pain medication.
Benefits of dry needling!
Some of the benefits are:
- Reduced pain by altering chemicals in parts of the brain and spinal cord which inhibit pain.
- Relaxation of tight muscles
- Reduced inflammation causing less pain and swelling with more movement of the affected joints.
Does it hurt?
Trigger points are usually painful to the touch, so before the needling, you may experience some pain whilst your therapist is locating the trigger point.
The needles are only a quarter of a millimetre thick, much narrower than a hypodermic syringe, so they tend to pass between body cells. Some patients don’t feel them, others describe an ache, warm feeling, or dull burning.
On a final note…….
Dry needling is a safe, minimally painful, and often remarkably effective technique for people with certain musculoskeletal conditions.
Many people have found the treatment to be a game-changer in improving their quality of life.
Make sure you speak to your Chiropractor before you embark on any treatment so they can give you the correct advice on which treatment would be beneficial to you.
If you would like some further information or to speak to a member of our team please call us on: Hitchin 01462 420077 or Luton 01582 579687, alternatively e-mail us at: hitchin@healesclinics.com or luton@healesclinics.com