DRY NEEDLING

Often compared to acupuncture solely because they both use stainless steel needles, dry needling is actually a very different type of treatment. While acupuncture is based on the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) technique of acupuncture, dry needling is based on western anatomical and neurophysiological principles found in recent science.

Also known as intramuscular stimulation, dry needling places several filiform needles into myofascial trigger points in your muscle or connective tissue to release knots and relieve any muscle pain or spasms. If the thought of needles worries you, it may relieve you to know that it is so thin most people don’t feel it entering the skin.

Dry needling in Brisbane is intended to be comfortable and pain-free, achieving a local twitch response similar to that of a muscle cramp to relax the overworked and overactive muscles. 

A myofascial trigger point is essentially a knot in the muscle which is formed when a group of muscle fibers have shortened during activation and have not returned to their relaxed state. When this happens, a sensitive nodule develops in the muscle that becomes so tight that capillaries and nerves compress resulting in the inability to move or obtain fresh blood supply containing oxygen and nutrients. In addition, it can no longer flush out acidic chemicals and the surrounding muscles may also tighten to compensate. All of this leads to discomfort as well as decreased joint mobility and function.

Easing these trigger points with dry needling has proven to be effective in improving flexibility and increasing range of motion. Performed mostly by physical therapists, the dry needling method is often used to treat sports injuries, muscle pain and even fibromyalgia. 

As with any body work or use of needles, there is a minor risk of injury, however, only our staff that have qualifications in dry needling will administer this technique. A clinician must have a high understanding of the appropriate points and nerves to carry out dry needling effectively. For more information, please call the clinic on (07) 3886 4300.

GONNET CHIROPRACTIC