Do you feel like you have stubborn knots in your muscles? Do you feel like no matter how much you use a foam roll, lacrosse ball, or massage gun, you can’t get them to let go? Are you looking for recovery work after a competition or race? Trigger point dry needling may be for you!
What is a Trigger Point?
The fancy word for a knot in the muscle is a trigger point, which is a taut band of muscle fibers. The blood flow and oxygen to this area of the muscle is reduced and as a result, inflammatory substances build up leading to localized pain in the area of the trigger point, as well as referred pain.
What to Expect:
Dry needling is a pain-relieving treatment performed by a dry needling certified Doctor of Physical Therapy, during which a thin solid needle is used to reduce tension in the taut muscle fibers. During dry needling, you may feel a twitchy, crampy, achy feel as the needle hits the trigger point. This is known as the “localized twitch response” and can result in some residual soreness for 24-72 hours.
As the taut muscle fibers start to let go, the blood flow improves which helps reduce the amount of inflammatory substances, leading to a decrease in pain and improved muscle function.
Who benefits from dry needling? Those with…
-Neck pain
-Tension headaches
-Low back pain
-Sciatica type pain
-Plantar Fasciitis
-Shoulder pain
-Tendonitis
-Muscle pain/stiffness
-and so much more!
Dry needling combined with exercises that are unique to your needs is where the magic really happens! Think of dry needling as hitting the “reset” button. Once we get muscles firing more efficiently, corrective exercises tend to be more effective. Dry needling alone may make you feel better in the short term, but exercises in conjunction with this is what corrects things for the long term!
Interested in learning more about dry needling and if you would be a good candidate? Click the button below to contact us or call/text (301) 828-2247! We’d love to chat with you!
Comments