The term “Dry Needling” has received a lot of attention recently thanks to its use by several professional athletes in their recovery programs. The increase in recognition from these professionals is also due, in part, to the rise in accessibility for recreational athletes investigating options for recovering faster without pharmaceuticals or invasive procedures like surgery.
Meanwhile, success rates have increased with chronic pain sufferers trying anything that’s just not right – enough stressors are added to their lives that they will get back on track fast! It’s interesting how this form of treatment got its name.
Read on to answer all these questions and understand the benefits and disadvantages of recovering through dry needling therapy.
What is Dry Needling?
Dry needling is an innovative treatment option for chronic pain, injuries, and rehabilitation. It’s like acupuncture, but without the use of needles.
This stimulates the nervous system, which sends healing messages back up through those same muscles and improves circulation throughout weakened joints, tendons, ligaments, and other soft tissues involved in many common conditions, such as asthma or plantar fasciitis.
Pros and Cons of Dry Needling
Key Benefits
A non-invasive therapy.
No risk of anesthesia when done by a professional.
Less expensive than surgery.
High success rate in curing chronic pain cases.
Treatment is effective for muscular or neuro-musculoskeletal injuries.
Patients usually experience an immediate improvement in the mobility of the muscles treated.
It can help reduce pain and facilitate tissue repair after injury.
It reduces inflammation related to tendonitis, arthritis, impingement, or stress fractures by redistributing fluid through the muscle tissue causing natural drainage, which helps prevent additional swelling and creates temporary relief from pain while at rest due to improved circulation blood flow in that area if done correctly.
The needle used is a solid filament needle that is less than the typical needles used at your doctor’s office for injections; it generally measures between 10 mm-20 mm (1/4 inch – 3/8 inch).
It can be beneficial during the season with no need for recovery time. The procedure itself takes only 15 minutes on average per session (you may experience some soreness afterward).
Main Complications
Needle sometimes penetrates too deeply into certain patients, leading them to become numb around the injection site, temporarily rendering them unable to output any form of movement without neurological involvement present, thereby creating potential complications with other motions, including breathing.
The patient may experience soreness after the procedure.
Bruising can occur during treatment.
Some patients find it uncomfortable, but many notice immediate relief and choose this technique over others to get better.
The risk of complications with dry needle therapy is less than one percent (1%), something that many people can efficiently deal with or manage without too much trouble.
Does Dry Needling Therapy Work?
Dry needling is a type of manual therapy where the therapist inserts needles into muscle tissue, injecting no substances. The practice originated in China over 2000 years ago and has been used worldwide for various injuries.
By facilitating better movement and giving you the capacity to maintain it, too, dry needling is remarkably beneficial as well – especially when compared with most other techniques that address soft tissue dysfunction. The end goal of Dry Needling Therapy is not only to provide relief, but also to facilitate improved movement. Hence, you have a greater capacity for keeping this movement long-term as your rehabilitation progresses.
So, over time, you will find yourself doing less needling work and more exercises, prescription strengthening or stretching programs, or mobility drills if needed.
