Dry needling is a procedure used at Gladesville Healthcare where a fine acupuncture needle is inserted into the muscle via the skin. These needles are strategically placed to address myofascial trigger points in the muscles (taut, tight muscle fibres) that are irritable and tender to palpate or touch.
‘Active’ trigger points found throughout your treatment can often caused restrictions in range of motion and local muscle weakness, while ‘latent’ points are generally painless unless they are stimulated (eg: they are touched).
Research suggests that triggers points occur as a response to sustained postures, repetitive low load stress and unfamiliar loading patterns in the body (ie: sitting at a desk for long periods). Pain associated with trigger points is often due to decreased blood flow and oxygen availability within the local muscle fibres. This then activates the muscle’s pain receptors to create local tenderness.
The process of dry needling a muscle is a simple one in which the skin is sterilized and then a small,fine acupuncture needle is placed into the muscle or trigger point being needled. Often, this can elicit what we term a “twitch response”, in which there is a quick muscle twitch of the muscle that we are needling.The needles are often left in for 5-10 minutes (you will not likely feel these at all while they are in) and are then removed after this time has elapsed.
Rarely a standalone procedure, dry needling is often used as part of a broader physical therapy approach at Gladesville Healthcare by our sports chiropractors and physiotherapy team,as well as some of our podiatrists.
Why not give us a call on 98163071 or speak to one of our practitioners next time you’re in about how dry needling might be able to help you?