Dry Needling
Dry needling is a technique we use to treat muscle dysfunctions. Symptoms usualy are tension, pain, radiation, restriction of movement or hypersensitivity of the muscle. In the hands of a specialized physiotherapist, it is a highly effective and very safe technique for treating myofascial pain and dysfunction.
How does it work?
The mechanism behind dry needling consists of puncturing specific trigger points in muscle(s) with very thin needles. As a result, blood supply in these points will improve and as a result the muscle can relax again. The needles that are used are sterile and do not contain any fluid, hence the name 'Dry' needling.
We will of course ask for your preference and how you feel about needles. Based on this, a treating method would fit you the best. An examination will then take place to detect possible trigger points that need to be treated.
Difference with acupuncture:
Although the needles are very similar, there are some important differences. With dry needling we specifically look for trigger points in a clinical examination, while with acupuncture they work based on fixed points and energy pathways. Another difference is that with dry needling we almost never use more than one needle at the same time, while with acupuncture this can be dozens at a time.
If possible, not only the muscle, or region where the patient experiences complaints, will be treated. The therapist will also look at the interaction of this muscle with surrounding muscles, examine them, and treat them if necessary. With this we intend to take the complete functional muscle chain into account for an optimal result.
Do you have a muscle-related complaint?
Then Dry Needling might a good option to consider!
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