Dry Needling is a technique inspired by acupuncture, which we use at our Essendon and Brunswick clinics. To do dry needling, we use fine acupuncture needles to treat muscle pain or myofascial pain. Therefore, dry needling is a great technique for treating trigger point pain, which is responsible for a majority of muscular pain.
Trigger points are tender spots in tight bands of muscle, which hurt when pressed. As a result, these areas can be the source of many pains in the body. Furthermore, they can even refer pain from one area to another. For example, a trigger point in the hip may refer pain into the hamstring or calf.
There are many theories as to why dry needling works so well. However, the common belief is that when the needle enters a trigger point, the pain causes a local ‘on’ switch and then ‘off’ switch of the muscle. This is what we call a “twitch response”. This relaxes the painful muscle and gives you rapid relief of pain. In addition, we can use this to increase your range of movement and normalise movement. As a result, this allows your rehab exercises to be performed more effectively.
Dry needling is a safe, effective and respected method for pain relief. Finally, when used in conjunction with other techniques, we can significantly improve muscle range, strength and control.
Dry needling is recommended to those suffering from joint pain, headache and migraines, inflammatory conditions, neck and back pain and acute and chronic muscle trigger point pain.
If you have a phobia of needles, this treatment might not be for you. And that’s okay! There are other options we can use to help with pain relief of trigger points. If you’re curious about what dry needling can do for you, just ask us. Our myotherapists and physiotherapists in Essendon will be happy to help!
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