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Dry Needling

Dry Needling

Lingering muscle pain and myofascial dysfunction can have devastating effects on people as they try to live their daily life. While many people try to live with and tolerate the pain, there are solutions out there worth giving a try.
Dry needling is a treatment that focuses exactly on that. This therapy uses a very thin needle that targets troublesome areas in the body, helping to reduce or even eliminate tightness and pain.

Many might be wondering, is this the right treatment for them? We have helped out a lot of patients over the years with dry needling, and it continues to be a popular treatment solution for short-term and long-term pain.

To find out if dry needling might be a good treatment option for you, call us at 513-561-2273 or Schedule an Appointment here on our website.

Here’s a closer look at the treatment for those still unsure about what it entails.
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What makes dry needling effective?

Trigger points in the body can be very painful when pressed on, but they can also cause pain in other parts of the body as well. One common issue a lot of people have dealt with in the past is shoulder or neck pain causing a severe headache. This is because those trigger points in that part of the body also create pain in the head.
Dry needling focuses on the main cause of the pain and suffering a patient is going through. Our fully trained doctor uses a small needle to target certain muscles in the body that aren’t manually palpable.

In turn, this provides pain relief and a better range of motion. It also helps reduce the risk of other muscle issues forming due to overuse. When the body is fully functional, muscles can’t be overwork or strained in challenging ways.

What should a person expect during each session?

In the beginning, the focus is on finding the exact spot in the body where the treatment needs targeting. Identifying the right trigger points is the most effective way to achieve results.

After that, the needle is inserted into the body until resistance is felt. Typically, the patient will also have a local twitch response. This reflex indicates alleviation. Other trigger points will continue to be targeted until the local twitch responses stop. Each needle is left in for up to 15 minutes, giving it enough time to start the healing process involving the targeted tissues.

After needle removal and clean up, a patient can return to their normal activities right away. Make sure to drink plenty of water, and use over the counter pain relief and/or ice if soreness occurs.

There is an alternative solution called superficial dry needling, which involves shorter intervals. This is specifically recommended for those who hate needles, are prone to cramping or have a generally stiff body.

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What is treatable with dry needling?

Dry needling stimulates underlying myofascial trigger points. It also helps to treat many muscular, neural and connective tissue ailments. That means this alternative therapy can help with anything from migraines to myofascial pain syndrome.

Below are the most common issues we use dry needling to help treat:

  • Myofascial Pain Syndrome
  • Migraines/Headaches
  • Carpal Tunnel
  • Plantar Fasciitis
  • TMJ
  • Disk Pathology
  • Whiplash
  • Spinal Dysfunction
  • Pelvic Pain
  • Regional Pain Syndrome
  • Tendonitis
  • Joint Dysfunction

Dry Needling in Cincinnati at Baker Chiropractic and Wellnes

At Baker Chiropractic and Wellness, patients have been experiencing relief from dry needling from our fully trained doctor.

Chris was suffering from plantar fasciitis. After inserts and a cortisone shot did not work well to heal the pain, Chris visited Dr. Baker at Baker Chiropractic and Wellness.

He received dry needling. After one treatment, he felt about 80% better. He stated, “I felt like I could run…I hadn’t been able to walk without my shoes for a long time and like I was walking around just fine without them.”
Watch this video to learn about Chris’ experience with dry needling.

Why should someone go through dry needling treatment?

Dry needling is sometimes offered as an alternative if nothing else is providing relief. Some even try it early on, especially if the pain is not too severe just yet. What makes a person finally sign up for treatment? Below are the three major benefits of the therapy.

Pain Relief

People who go through dry needling treatments will notice close to an immediate improvement with their overall pain in targeted areas. The short-term relief can make a person feel better right away, allowing them to leave the office feeling great.

Relief time varies depending on each patient, but it’s often recommended to get a series of treatments for longer-lasting results. It will typically take a few sessions for major changes, since trigger points hide under quite a bit of muscle.

Better Movement

A patient going through dry needling treatment in dealing with any type of movement issue can see improvement after just a few sessions. By targeting a specific part of the body, the therapy can help with not only range of motion, but improved strength as well.

Faster Recovery

It’s a struggle for a lot of people to fully recover from certain ailments, even with the help of surgery or strong medication. Dry needling speeds up the recovery process by targeting the specific region.

Some people will use dry needling as their only treatment, but it works well as supplemental treatment as well. For example, a combination of medication and dry needling can allow people to notice a major difference in pain and range of motion in a short amount of time.

How safe is dry needling?

The biggest issue patient’s face with dry needling is the same as anything involving needles. If someone has a needle phobia, it’s going to take some time to be comfortable with dry needling. Other than that, there are very few reasons to worry about dry needling.

During and directly after each treatment, patients might feel some slight pain or discomfort. This is completely normal and usually becomes less evident as time goes on.

As is the case with any invasive treatment, there are small risks of infection and sterility. We take every precaution necessary to ensure that the chances of these issues arising are slim to none. We provide some of the best, careful techniques to reduce or even eliminate bleeding, bruising and pain.

At this time, we don’t recommend dry needling for children. Not only does it not seem as effective, but children might have more issues with needles in general. For anyone under the age of 18, we require parental consent before providing the treatment.

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Dry needling sounds very similar to acupuncture. Whats the difference?

Although often compared to acupuncture, dry needling is a little different. It focuses on stimulating specific trigger points that are directly connected to pain and disabilities. Acupuncture is more about attempting to increase energy flow in the body.
Dry needling is a more targeted, evidence-based treatment option for those dealing with muscle issues. They both involve needles inserted into the body, but other than that, the two treatments aren’t particularly similar.

Is dry needling worth trying?

Many patients have found great success using dry needling treatment. By having the ability to focus directly on tight muscles, relief is perhaps just a few sessions away. It’s a much more affordable solution for people who are looking for relief as quickly as possible.

To find out if dry needling might be a good treatment option for you, call us at 513-561-2273.

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