DRY NEEDLING
Dry needling is used in conjunction with Physiotherapy and some massage treatments to help alleviate pain and spasm in muscles, trigger point therapy as well as reduce swelling and promote healing. Dry needling stimulates specific reactions in the target tissues for its therapeutic effect. This form of therapy is achieved by utilizing a solid, single-use, sterile filament needle. This differs from the traditional eastern practice of acupuncture as dry needling involves insertion of needles into myofascial trigger points to deactivate and help resolve trigger points (acupuncture involves insertion in needles into specific energy meridians in order to achieve a desired result). We use the word 'dry'as a 'wet'needle is a needle that contains fluid - as used when giving injections.
WHAT'S INVOLVED IN DRY NEEDLING?
Following injury or pain, muscles tend to develop trigger points - usually consisting of a small band of muscle which feels knotty. It is sometimes painful when touched, but the pain is often referred to another area of the body. Our therapists (after your consent) can insert the super-fine dry (acupuncture) to help alleviate the trigger point and relax the muscle tissue. We use the finest quality Sensei Japanese acupuncture needles. This part of the treatment usually lasts from 3 and up to 10 minutes. They can be places and multiple areas of the body if needed, and 'stimulated' or 'twiddled' as required to get the most effective result. Dry needling can help many problems such as painful trigger points in muscles, acute swelling after injury, as well as muscle spasm and tightness. Headaches and spinal pain referral from tight muscles can be helped with dry needling and is most effective in conjunction with Physiotherapy, joint mobilisation and remedial massage. Dry needling can also help stimulate healing in the injured tissues.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Dry needling increases opoid levels, therefore decreases pain. It also works on the pain-gate theory - where only one pain message can be recieved by the brain from one area at only on time. Normal slow dull aching messages form an injury can be ínterecepted' by the needle message It helps reduce localised swelling, improves natural anti-inflammatory response and tissue re-modelling, as well as improves the alignment of connective tissue and scar tissue breakdown. With trigger points, needling into the trigger point will reduce the spasm and relieve not only the local pain but also the referred pain. Dry needling improves circulation which is beneficial to an injured area that has compromised blood flow. Careful and specific placement of the needles in the body will relieve the pressure often at times on a nerve. By relieving that pressure it allows the blood to flow into an injured area. In the hands of a skilled practitioner, acupuncture or dry needling can offer great results and if practised well there is also a remarkable absence of the post treatment tissue soreness often experienced by the subject following other manual therapy interventions.
