Dry Needling
Dry needling is a method of quickly releasing tight and sometimes painful skeletal muscle fibers known as trigger points. A trigger point is very often painful upon palpation and can cause a myriad of symptoms from headaches to referred pain. Dry needling is a method of releasing toxic chemicals that inflame your muscles known as a trigger points. Trigger points are caused by trauma to an injured area and your muscles react by seizing up to protect it from further damage. This is why trigger points feel knot-like and often painful upon applying pressure. They can cause a myriad of problems from pain in injured and surrounding areas, dysfunctional movement patterns, headaches and migraines, and joint dysfunction.
Does Dry Needling Hurt?
Dry needling uses a very thin solid needle or filament to disrupt the trigger point and elicit a “twitch response” which returns that muscle to a normal state by allowing inflammatory chemicals to leave the trigger point, to relax the muscle, and to restore blood flow to the area. Dry needling often uses the same type of needle as used in acupuncture, however while acupuncture remains close to the skin, dry needling penetrates deeper and so requires a physical therapist’s expert knowledge of the musculoskeletal system to administer. While dry needling does penetrate the muscles, the needles are very thin and you may or may not feel the insertion of the needle. Some patients may feel a brief ache or cramping sensation during the twitch response.
“Casey at Therapydia Denver helped my pain completely disappear with dry needling. He even gave me exercises to strengthen my problem muscles. The appointment was easy to make and the staff was very friendly. I will definitely go back if I need it, but so far I have no more pain!” – Lindsey K.
Is Dry Needling For You?
Dry needling is an effective treatment for acute and chronic pain, range of motion issues, joint dysfunction, recovery from injury, and even prevention of pain and injury, with very few side effects unlike trigger point injections which involve the injection of a local anesthetic, saline solution or steroid into the trigger point which can cause irritation. This technique is suitable for many patients who want to find and eliminate neuromuscular dysfunctions that lead to pain and functional deficits.
- Common Conditions Treated With Dry Needling:
- Acute and chronic pain
- Lower back pain
- Tendonitis
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Disk pathology
- Neck/Back Pain
- Shoulder Pain
- Tennis/Golfer’s Elbow
- Hip and Gluteal Pain
- Headaches
- Knee Pain
- Plantar Fasciitis
- Sciatica
How Much Does Dry Needling Cost at Therapydia Denver?
Dry needling is one treatment technique our physical therapists at Therapydia Denver use in conjunction with a variety of manual therapy and custom exercise programs. Every physical therapy treatment program starts of with an initial evaluation to allow our physical therapists to pinpoint the cause of your pain and tailor a program for your needs and goals.
The cost of your initial evaluation and follow-up visits will depend on your insurance coverage. We are happy to call your insurance for you to verify your physical therapy benefits. We do offer cash-pay rates for patients who choose not to use their insurance.
