Have you ever felt tightness in some parts of your body? This tightness is caused by muscle knots. Aside from a sense of tightness, knotted muscles cause spots of tenderness, and swelling throughout your body, as muscle fibers are attached to the bones.
The knotted muscle spots are called trigger points and can be loosened up. A procedure called dry needling for trigger point pain is very effective in loosening up these tight and tense muscles, allowing them to contract and relax normally. A physical therapy program for patients in treatment for myofascial trigger points includes dry needling.
How Does Dry Needling Work?
Dry needling is a type of treatment that uses solid filament needles injected directly into the spot of the knotted muscles. This produces a deep tissue release that can relieve the trigger point pain symptoms. It is called “dry” for there is no solution that is involved in the therapy. When the dry needle makes contact with the muscle, your body responds with a twitch reflex which helps decrease muscle tightness and contraction. It is an expected reaction and the dull ache or cramping that you feel is normal. Furthermore, the needle creates a controlled lesion, which triggers an immunological response. The body, detecting the foreign invader, launches an immune system response, to reduce inflammation all over the body.
Dry needling is different from acupuncture. Acupuncture is a technique rooted from Chinese medicine that talks of redirecting the body’s energy flow by inserting needles at specific points of the body. In dry needling, the needles are placed at exactly where the pain is located with the goal of relieving the discomfort.
Benefits of Dry Needling
Dry needling is quick and minimally-invasive. Whenperformed by a professional, risks are minimized. Make sure to trust a licensed physical therapist with your dry needling therapy. A professional can relieve neck, back, knee, shoulder pain, and headaches associated with muscle knots. Although you can see improvements immediately after the first session, it may take a couple of sessions to get lasting relief. It is common to experience soreness following a session, but it should go away in a couple of days. Patients who receive dry needling for trigger point pain report relief from pain, an increased range of motion, and better functioning. Dry needling complements physical therapy and is not a standalone therapy to relieve your pain.
Dry Needling Treatment in Catonsville, Columbia, and Eldersburg, MD
If you are experiencing muscle tightness and bodily pain, our physicians at Orthopaedic Associates of Central Maryland (OACM) can help relieve your symptoms. While we offer dry needling to our patients, it is only as part of a comprehensive treatment program for lasting relief from pain. We provide superior care in our state-of-the-art physical therapy facilities. If you have any questions about our services or you want to make an appointment, call us at (410) 644-1880 or use our convenient online request form. We are proud to announce that we have an additional physical therapy facility in Ellicott City. Our friendly staff looks forward to serving you in any of our four locations throughout Central Maryland.
