Dry Needling!

Does this sound familiar- been sat at your desk most of the day and your neck and shoulder are aching again? It could well be a nagging Myofascial Trigger Point.

A Myofascial Trigger Point is a hyper irritable spot in the muscle that can elicit local tenderness, it can refer pain in a specific area and will be palpable to touch like a knot.  They can be found anywhere from your facial muscles to muscles in your feet.
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Read more about dry needling and how it is used to treat myofascial trigger point pain.

First of all, what causes these myofascial trigger points?

Well anything from bad posture; yep I bet you just sat up straight, to moving incorrectly during sporting and leisure activities.

Myofascial Trigger Points can co-exist with other musculoskeletal condition such as Achilles Tendinopathy or degenerative conditions like Osteoarthritis in the neck.  Such conditions will affect how you move due to pain thus stressing the muscles in the surrounding areas.

Dry needling is an effective technique for relaxing those contracted muscle fibres that produce the knot feeling when you press the tender spot.   A sterile, single use filiform needle or sometimes several are inserted into the knotted area to relax the muscle fibres and improve local circulation. The needle allows a physiotherapist to target tissues that are not manually palpable.

It is referred to as "dry" needling to denote that the needle does not contain medication.

Dry needling is not acupuncture, a practice based on traditional Chinese medicine and performed by acupuncturists. Dry needling is a part of modern Western medicine principles, and supported by research 

This treatment can give immediate pain relief as the muscle can start to relax straight away.  It is a relatively painless mode of treatment.  You may experience some post treatment soreness but that will be short-lived. 

Often, dry needling is typically one technique as part of a larger treatment plan. So, a follow up treatment may be suggested but you can discuss an appropriate treatment plan with your physiotherapist. 

So, next time you get that nagging knot, it could just well be a trigger point.  Get yourself booked in for an assessment so we can get you back to your pain-free self and enjoying life without pain.
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NorthWest Physio +
4B Shamrock Drive
Kumeu
Auckland
09 412 2945
www.northwestphysioplus.co.nz