What is Dry Needling? Trigger point dry needling is a treatment technique, which uses small filament type needles to release tight muscles with the goal of permanently reducing muscle pain and dysfunction.The needle used is very thin and most subjects do not even feel it penetrate the skin. Dry Needling is primarily aimed at treating “trigger points”. A myofascial trigger point is a “hyperirritable spot in a skeletal muscle.” The spot is painful on compression and can give rise to characteristic referred pain as well as other disturbances such as sweating, nausea, reduced strength and impaired function. Myofascial trigger points are commonly seen in both acute and chronic pain conditions and are a commonly missed diagnosis in chronic pain patients. |
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Does it hurt?
A healthy muscle feels very little discomfort with insertion of this needle. However if the muscle is sensitive and shortened or has active trigger points within it, the subject will feel a sensation like a muscle cramp -‘the twitch response’. The patient also may feel a reproduction of “their” pain which is a helpful diagnostic indicator for the practitioner attempting to diagnose the cause of the patient’s symptoms.
Patients soon learn to recognise and even welcome this sensation as it results in deactivating the trigger point, reducing pain and restoring normal length function to the involved muscle.
Sandringham Sports Medicine uses Dry Needling effectively and extensively within the Clinic for the treatment of Myofascial Pain & Dysfunction. This can be used for both the athletic and chronic pain population.
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