Monday 18 January 2016

About Dry Needling Pennsylvania Clinics

By Robert Edwards


People who live with chronic pain find every day a trial. Those who pull a hamstring or sprain an ankle playing their favorite sport also find the days to recovery difficult. Dry needling Pennsylvania is a therapy designed to speed healing and offer pain relief. With this form of therapy, there is no fear of becoming dependent on prescription medication or suffering its side effects.

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.

Filiform needles are used in many cases. These are solid and usually slightly larger in diameter than an acupuncture tool. In cases where an injection of corticosteroids or other therapeutic substance is called for, hollow hypodermic needles are used. The needle allows the therapist to pinpoint the target and stimulate a muscle or a trigger point.

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.

If manual manipulation (massage) is not able to release the knots, the use of properly placed needles can offer help. Torn ligaments and tendons can also be targeted to accelerate healing. Needling improves muscle tone and flexibility, too. The restoration of normal movement is a great benefit to those crippled with pain or injured in sports.

Most people don't feel the instruments passing through the skin. However, when the muscle itself is probed, there can be minor pain. This is generally in the form of cramping, as the muscle reacts to the stimulation. Soreness and bruising sometimes result, but these are usually not serious and easily relieved by soaking in an Epsom salts bath or applying ice to the area. Physical activity is generally good for recovery, although it should be light exercise rather than anything intense.

The average course of treatment is two to four sessions. This treatment is used extensively in sports medicine and in pain management. It is considered a very safe and non-invasive way to provide relief and promote healing. Side effects may be similar to those of deep tissue massage, mainly tiredness 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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