Our Warsaw location offers dry needling services to treat myofascial pain. A trained physical therapy inserts a "dry" (no medication) thin needle through the skin into muscular trigger points, which are taut bands of skeletal muscle. The ultimate goal of dry needling is to release the trigger point to decrease pain and improve range of motion. While the needles are the same, dry needling and acupuncture are not. Dry needling is developed for anatomical and neurophysiological principles with trigger points serving as the target tissue. Acupuncture is based on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and aims at balancing "chi" or life energy within the body. Chi circulates in the body along meridians that are linked to internal organs and bodily systems.
Dry needling is performed once per week with the goal of achieving a local twitch response. You should notice the original pain is less intense and frequent. Soreness is common after a treatment session and can last for 24-48 hours. Increasing your water intake following a session will help avoid or reduce the amount of soreness. Minor bruising can also occur, especially in your shoulder, chest, and areas on your arm and legs. Icing the area after a session can help lessen the degree of bruising.
The following are some of the diagnoses that demonstrate excellent clinical results when treated with dry needling:
- Back Pain
- Neck Pain
- Headaches
- TMD/TMJ
- Shoulder Pain
- Elbow Pain (Medial/Lateral Epicondylitis)
- Hand Pain
- Hip Pain
- Knee Pain
- Heel/Foot Pain (Plantar Fasciitis)
- Tendinitis/Tendinopathy
- Myofascial Pain Syndrome
