Does Dry Needling Help Inflammation?
Dry needling is a technique utilized by physical therapists and other healthcare providers to address myofascial trigger points, which are areas of muscle tightness that may cause pain, stiffness and other symptoms.
Dry needling is a treatment in which your provider inserts very fine needles into the area where you are experiencing pain or discomfort. They may leave these in place for seconds or minutes depending on what’s needed. At Total Health & Rehab Center, we offer dry needling as part of our comprehensive physical therapy services.
1. Increased Blood Flow
Dry needling, the practice of inserting filiform needles beneath the skin and into trigger points, helps increase blood flow to areas suffering from inflammation, pain or injury. This increased circulation also brings oxygen and nutrients directly to these affected areas – aiding healing processes.
Dry needling is a method used to relieve muscle pain and increase mobility. When combined with physical therapy, dry needling has proven successful in treating trigger points as well as chronic pain conditions like myofascial pain syndrome or fibromyalgia. Learn more about our dry needling services and how they can help you.
2. Released Chemicals
When you become injured or infected, your body responds by producing chemicals to repair tissue damage and repel foreign invaders. These substances cause the area around the injury to swell, turn red, and feel warm.
These chemicals are released by white blood cells such as basophils, neutrophils, monocytes and macrophages. Other cells like platelets and mast cells also release inflammatory markers which contribute to chronic inflammation that leads to pain.
Dry needling can help reduce inflammation by stimulating your body’s natural defenses. The micro tears caused by the needle prompt your body’s response, drawing in nutrient-rich blood to the area and dissipating inflammatory mediators.
3. Erase Muscle Memory
Dry needling can be an invaluable addition to your treatment plan if you are dealing with pain or mobility issues. It reduces muscle tension, releases trigger points, and enhances function.
Muscle memory is the ability of your muscles to recall how to perform an action, such as performing a movement or exercise. While this can be beneficial when trying to perform the same task quickly again, muscle memory could also lead to injury.
4. Increased Range of Motion
Dry needling is an effective way to reduce inflammation and expand range of motion without the use of medications. During a session, your physical therapist will identify what’s known as a trigger point in your muscle and then insert a needle through your skin directly into this location.
Trigger points are tight bands within muscles that can restrict motion and cause pain or tenderness in the surrounding area. Once treated, trigger points reduce banding, increase blood flow, and alleviate symptoms like pain and tenderness.
Many athletes with muscular trigger points in their bodies find improvement after receiving dry needling treatments. By accelerating through a full range of motion, these individuals increase speed, strength and power by stretching out those tight spots in their muscles.
If you’re interested in learning more about dry needling and how it can help with inflammation, contact our team of specialists at Total Health & Rehab Center to schedule an appointment.