If you're in pain, you want relief. General practitioners can diagnose the problem and, probably, prescribe a painkiller. Unfortunately, this kind of temporary fix can help immediate suffering but does little to heal or promote long-lasting improvement. What can be long-lasting is an addiction to prescription medicine. For this reason, people with chronic pain or muscle injuries may try alternative methods. Dry needling Pennsylvania is one therapy gaining in popularity.
The therapy is fairly simple in execution. It involves the insertion of a needle - similar to an acupuncture needle but often larger in size - through the skin and into muscle tissue. It can affect a precise muscle or stimulate trigger points, which are certain spots on the body that activate pain either at that point or at a specific point some distance away.
Solid needles are used, called filiform, unless injections of corticosteroids or other therapeutic substances are part of the treatment. That calls for hollow, hypodermic needles. Sometimes the instruments are acupuncture tools, but in needling they are often larger. The use of a needle allows the therapist to target specific areas of muscle tissue for stimulation or injection.
Muscles sometimes knot up, as their tissue contracts and fails to release. This can be in response to tension over an extended period of time or to a sudden stress, as in a sports injury. This contraction causes pain at the immediate site and possibly in other areas of the body. The added strain can affect skeletal alignment and other muscles or connective tissue. Massage may help muscles to relax, but if manual manipulation is not enough, further measures may be called for.
Using this kind of long, thin instrument, a skilled therapist can reach an exact trouble spot. If a knot can be released, the relevant muscle can relax and lengthen, making normal movement possible again without pain. Flexibility and muscle tone can also be improved with this technique.
The treatment is relatively painless in most cases. Most people don't feel the needle pass through the skin, just as in acupuncture. However, the penetration into deep tissue can cause cramping, although this is not usually severe enough to cause more than temporary discomfort. Bruising can result, and some soreness may persist for a day or two following treatment. Soaking in Epsom salts or applying ice packs can help relieve these minor side effects. Mild physical activity is recommended following a treatment, although strenuous activity is not.
Two to four treatments are the usual course, although of course cases vary. Many therapists who work with sports injuries incorporate dry needling in their practices. They like the safety of this protocol, as well as its effectiveness and the rapid relief it can offer. In contrast to intestinal complications and possible addiction that conventional pain killers may cause, the side effects here are usually no more than temporary fatigue and soreness.
Check for clinics in your area that practice this therapy, which has some similarities to acupuncture but which is based on a different philosophy. The clinicians will be able to explain the program and advise people on whether their condition warrants this treatment. Dry needling holds out hope to those who suffer chronic back pain, for instance, or who have suffered an injury while exercising. It definitely is worth trying this mechanical way to relief and recovery before more extreme methods, like surgery, are considered.
The therapy is fairly simple in execution. It involves the insertion of a needle - similar to an acupuncture needle but often larger in size - through the skin and into muscle tissue. It can affect a precise muscle or stimulate trigger points, which are certain spots on the body that activate pain either at that point or at a specific point some distance away.
Solid needles are used, called filiform, unless injections of corticosteroids or other therapeutic substances are part of the treatment. That calls for hollow, hypodermic needles. Sometimes the instruments are acupuncture tools, but in needling they are often larger. The use of a needle allows the therapist to target specific areas of muscle tissue for stimulation or injection.
Muscles sometimes knot up, as their tissue contracts and fails to release. This can be in response to tension over an extended period of time or to a sudden stress, as in a sports injury. This contraction causes pain at the immediate site and possibly in other areas of the body. The added strain can affect skeletal alignment and other muscles or connective tissue. Massage may help muscles to relax, but if manual manipulation is not enough, further measures may be called for.
Using this kind of long, thin instrument, a skilled therapist can reach an exact trouble spot. If a knot can be released, the relevant muscle can relax and lengthen, making normal movement possible again without pain. Flexibility and muscle tone can also be improved with this technique.
The treatment is relatively painless in most cases. Most people don't feel the needle pass through the skin, just as in acupuncture. However, the penetration into deep tissue can cause cramping, although this is not usually severe enough to cause more than temporary discomfort. Bruising can result, and some soreness may persist for a day or two following treatment. Soaking in Epsom salts or applying ice packs can help relieve these minor side effects. Mild physical activity is recommended following a treatment, although strenuous activity is not.
Two to four treatments are the usual course, although of course cases vary. Many therapists who work with sports injuries incorporate dry needling in their practices. They like the safety of this protocol, as well as its effectiveness and the rapid relief it can offer. In contrast to intestinal complications and possible addiction that conventional pain killers may cause, the side effects here are usually no more than temporary fatigue and soreness.
Check for clinics in your area that practice this therapy, which has some similarities to acupuncture but which is based on a different philosophy. The clinicians will be able to explain the program and advise people on whether their condition warrants this treatment. Dry needling holds out hope to those who suffer chronic back pain, for instance, or who have suffered an injury while exercising. It definitely is worth trying this mechanical way to relief and recovery before more extreme methods, like surgery, are considered.
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When searching for important information about dry needling Pennsylvania patients should take a tour of our official website. All the related facts about this therapy can be reviewed on this page at http://www.primalphysicaltherapy.com.
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