Dry Needling
AGADA Physical Therapy is one of a handful of clinics in the Twin Cities to offer Functional Dry Needling (TM), an evidence-based treatment for acute or chronic pain, rehabilitation from an injury, and even pain and injury prevention. This technique is unparallelled in finding and eliminating neuromuscular dysfunction that leads to pain and functional deficits.
Dry Needling is a general term for a therapeutic treatment procedure that involves multiple advances of a filament needle into the muscle in the area of the body, which produces pain and typically contains a ‘Trigger Point’. There is no injectable solution and typically the needle that is used is very thin. Most patients will not even feel the needle penetrate the skin, but once it has and is advanced into the muscle, the discomfort can vary. Usually a healthy muscle feels very little discomfort upon insertion of the needle; however, if the muscle is sensitive and shortened, or has active trigger points within it, the subject may feel a sensation much like a muscle cramp — which is often referred to as a ‘twitch response’.
The twitch response also has a biochemical characteristic to it, which likely affects the reaction of the muscle, symptoms and response of the tissue. The patient may only feel the cramping sensation locally, or they may feel a referral of pain and/or similar symptoms for which they are seeking treatment. A reproduction of their pain can be a helpful diagnostic indicator of the cause of the patient’s symptoms. Patients soon learn to recognize and even welcome this sensation, as it results in deactivating the trigger point, reducing pain and restoring normal length and function of the involved muscle.
Typically, positive results are apparent within 2-4 treatment sessions but can vary depending on the cause and duration of the symptoms, and overall health of the patient. Dry needling is an effective treatment for acute and chronic pain, rehabilitation from injury, and even pain and injury prevention, with very few side effects. This technique is unparallelled in finding and eliminating neuromuscular dysfunction that leads to pain and functional deficits.
“After a year of not being able to so much as take a walk without throbbing pain in my heel, I am finally on my way back to running after just two dry needling sessions with Swen.”
