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What is Trigger Point Dry Needling or Dry Needling?
Trigger poing dry needling is also dry needling or myofascial trigger point dry needling. It is done by physical therapists to treat muscle and myofascial pain.
Muscles sometimes develop knotted areas called trigger points. These trigger points are highly sensitive and can be painful when touched. They are also often the cause of referred pain (or pain that affects another part of the body). Thin solid fimament needles are utilized to go through the skin into the muscle and trigger points. The needles are used to stimulate the tissue, not to inject medication.
Pain and muscle tightness affects how your body moves. Your physicall therapist will assess you and determine the best treatment approch based off your pain reports and limitations. Dry needling allows for a change in the way the brain and muscles talk to each other to let the system return to a more normal movement patterns, thus reducing pain and tightness.
A patient may experience different sensations when being needled, muscle soreness, aching and a muscle twitch when a needle is inserted, which is considered to be a positive response. The physcial therapy may even opt to utilize electrical stimulation to the needles to re-education and reduce the irritation in the region.
Dry needling does require a referral from your medical provider to be included in your treatment plan of care.
What kinds of pain does trigger point dry needling treat?
Joint problems (Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid arthrits)
Tendinitis
Migraine and tension-type headaches
Temporomandibular joint disorders or TMD
Repetitive motion disorders (like carpal tunnel syndrome, meidal and lateral epicondylitis)
Spinal Dysfunction (Stenosis, Radiculopathy, Disc disorders)
Muscle strains
Whiplash