Are you recovering from an injury? You may be dealing with pain and limited overall movement. You want to encourage healing in this area, but you’re not sure which solutions will help you. The benefits of dry needling may be just what you need.
Dry needling is one of the best ways to deal with knotted muscles, sometimes called trigger points. If you’re feeling limited and unable to move beyond these situations during your recovery, consider the dry needling benefits.
#1: Pain Relief
Dry needling helps to relieve chronic pain that is brought on by muscle tension. It can also help alleviate pain from trigger points and other musculoskeletal conditions. This includes areas such as the upper back, sciatica nerve, neck, and shoulders, though it can impact any part of the body.
With dry needling, it is possible to improve pain because the trigger points or knots begin to dissipate thanks to the improved blood flow in the area. More of the acidic waste created by pain is moved away from this area while oxygen moves towards it. Compared to acupuncture, dry needling can offer faster pain relief for some people.
If you are feeling pain on a routine basis due to the healing process or even when you are moving your muscles after a workout, adding dry needling to your therapy sessions could be very helpful. It is one of the most effective ways to feel better.
#2: Improved Function
The use of this therapy may improve the range of motion, flexibility, and function for many people. That is why it can be particularly beneficial to athletes as well as people who have physical disabilities.
It is not easy to find other strategies for improving painfully tight muscles like dry needling does. If you are experiencing limited mobility when moving and muscle weakness when not moving, dry needling can support your recovery.
It is often best to combine dry needling with physical therapy as a way to build up strength and encourage proper function of the body, including improving the full range of motion.
#3: Reduced Muscle Tension
Yet another of the dry needling benefits is its ability to reduce the tension that builds up within the muscles. It does this because it works to target muscle trigger points. As a result, it is capable of helping to reduce the muscle tension you feel and works to reduce or eliminate muscle spasms that can prove to be critically painful. This can help to improve overall physical performance as a result.
One of the ways this is helpful is in this treatment’s ability to improve muscle extensibility and contractibility. That happens because of the deactivation of the trigger points. It works much like releasing the taut bands that are holding the muscle tightly in place. That helps to give you more range of motion but also helps to encourage proper function of the muscles.
#4: Improved Circulation
The key goal of this type of therapy is to stimulate improved circulation. This is one of the core benefits of dry needling. It works to increase the blood flow to the area being treated. That helps to deliver the all-important nutrients and oxygen the body needs in those areas to heal. It also helps to encourage the natural healing and regeneration process.
Blood flow is often one of the biggest concerns with muscle pain because the tightness brought on by trigger points can cause a restriction in the blood flow to the area. The restriction makes it hard for oxygen to get to the muscles, and that can amplify the pain you feel in this area. Dry needling helps to stop that restriction, encouraging blood flow to occur more readily.
#5: Faster Recovery
Dry needling can help to encourage healing and recovery from many types of soft tissue injuries. That includes strains and sprains. To do this well, it works to reduce inflammation in that area and encourages the body’s natural ability to heal.
Another way it does this is by creating very small, even tiny, injuries within the muscle. As a result of this, it stimulates the body’s need to heal that area. Your body responds to the inflammation caused by the needle, responding quickly to it. The result is that your body’s immune system goes to work to stimulate the healing process. It starts to develop collagen and protein formation in the impacted area. This helps to encourage the muscle to heal and restores its normal function.
Yet another way this helps is by working alongside physical therapy to make the most of your window of opportunity or the period of time that you have to relearn and reestablish the proper movement of your muscles and the muscle recruitment patterns.
Is Dry Needling All You Need?
While the benefits of dry needling are many, it is important to see it as a complementary, supportive tool that works alongside other therapies to help you heal. You cannot rely on dry needling alone to help “fix” your muscles or to reduce all of your pain. Rather, you can pair it with other psychotherapy methods that are appropriate for the area. In doing so, you are likely to see a significant amount of improvement and a reduction in the dysfunction you are feeling now.
Rock Valley Physical Therapy Can Help You
Are the dry needling benefits appealing to you? They should be! With this type of therapy, you have a treatment that is not painful, not limiting to your day-to-day life, and is restorative. Let our team at Rock Valley Physical Therapy help you to get the most out of it.
Our collaborative design and experienced therapists work with each client to ensure the best outcome, no matter how unique or challenging your condition seems. By utilizing our services, we can help you to get the results you need. Our patient-first, going-the-extra-mile care plan works to meet your needs. Contact us to learn more about how we can help you.