Acupuncture and Dry Needling
March 2, 2020NEEDLING
HOW DOES IT WORK AND CAN IT HELP ME?
There are 2 types of needling used by physiotherapists.
ACUPUNUCTURE: has been used by the Chinese for over 2500 years. It depends on an energy called ‘qi’, (pronounced ‘chee’), flowing through the body and meridians, (which are channels connecting the major organs). The fine needles inserted are used to stimulate to bodies natural way of healing.
DRY NEEDLING: The theory behind dry needling is different to acupuncture. This type of needling is generally used by practitioners to relieve tension in trigger points and therefore improve pain/function. A trigger point, or ‘knot’ is defined as an irritable spot in a muscle associated with a sensitive taut band or nodule. The band occurs from increased tension in the muscle fibres.
The needle stimulates superficial and deep nerve fibres and releases several different chemicals that can assist in pain relief and recovery. This can temporarily reduce pain and increases blood flow to the area to promote healing and improve joint movement.
Needling in general can be used to treat muscle/joint dysfunction, delayed onset muscle soreness, (DOMS), tendon issues, acute sprains and even degenerate joint disease. At Sportscare our physiotherapists are qualified in Acupuncutre/Dry needling and would happily discuss this as an option in addition to your regular physiotherapy treatment.