Is Dry Needling Safe & What Are The Benefits?

Dry needling is the latest treatment approach designed for easing muscular pain. It is gaining its popularity these days because of its wonderful benefits. However, for anyone it would always be a concern if the procedure is actually safe. So, let us know more about the treatment, know if dry needling is safe and also know about its benefits.

What Is Dry Needling?

Dry needling is the latest treatment approach for muscular pains where filiform needles are inserted in the skin of the affected individual. These needles are short, thin, and are made of steel. They are referred to as dry needles as they do not inject any liquid or medication within the body. Dry Needling is performed by an experienced physical therapist who has experience in performing the procedure. This treatment procedure is used for treating neuromusculoskeletal pain and movement impairments.
Now if we talk about how actually dry needling therapy works, it should be noted that Dry Needle Therapy is not just about injecting a dry needle and alleviating pain within a matter of minutes but there is also some science that goes along with it as well. Through needling, a tiny lesion is created on the skin surface which triggers the defense mechanism of the body to repair the injured and inflamed tissue. The immune system of the body then replaces the inflamed and damaged tissue with fresh ones.

Is Dry Needling Safe?

Is Dry Needling Safe?

Dry Needling may sound as if it may be a painful approach towards treatment but this is actually minimally invasive and extremely effective in treating musculoskeletal pains. It must be important to note that physical therapist performing dry needling, have appropriate training and thus the goal of the therapy is absolute safety.
However, there might be some mild side effects with dry needling, which includes bruising, bleeding and temporary soreness. Serious side effects of dry needling remain very rare.

NOTE: You may be at risk for contracting blood-borne illnesses, diseases and infection if non-sterile needles are used. You must ensure that your therapist is using sterile needles and disposes of them after each use.

What are the Benefits of Dry Needling?

Dry Needling is a accepted treatment in use by physical therapists in most of the states of the US, for treating conditions such as acute and chronic injuries, headaches, tendinitis, neck and back pain, muscle spasms, sciatica, muscle strains, fibromyalgia, Hip and knee pain, Runner’s knee, elbow pain, and overuse injuries. Let us check out the benefits under the following categories.

Relief of Pain and Muscle Tightness:

One of the best benefit of dry needling is relief from pain and muscle tightness. Since Dry Needling targets he trigger points, this is what makes this approach towards pain relief most effective. Assuming that an individual has shoulder pain. In Dry Needling, the therapist will insert needles directly into the trigger points of the shoulder. This relieves the tension, inflammation, and other chemicals that cause pain. It results in instant pain relief and better ROM.

Better Range of Motion:

Dry needling helps in improving the overall motion of a joint post an injury. In cases of athletes who are constantly on the go, fluidity in motion and having complete range of motion makes them perform in their events at their best.

For shoulder injuries, how dry needling helps can be elicited by an example of a baseball professional. Since a lot of stress is put on the shoulders while playing a game like baseball it is imperative to have complete range of motion of the shoulders to swing the bat strongly or bowl at a good pace. When not in play, the shoulder muscles need relaxation so as to continuously perform well. Dry needling not only decreases pain but also calms down muscle soreness thus decreasing overall discomfort caused by an injury to the shoulder while playing.

Hastens Recovery Process:

How soon an injury heals and the patient recovers is the most critical part in an injured athlete. While some injuries require an extended recuperation period and requires a lot of patience on the part of the patient to get back to full activity, dry needle approach has proved to be quite effective for instant pain relief and a fast recovery process when compared to standard approaches for treating injuries.

Conclusion:

Now, you must be pretty aware of the benefits of dry needling procedure. If you want to undergo this treatment, do ensure that you check with your doctor and therapists about the benefits and also the side effects of the treatment and also discuss about your underlying medical conditions in a detailed manner so as to keep safe.

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Team PainAssist
Team PainAssist
Written, Edited or Reviewed By: Team PainAssist, Pain Assist Inc. This article does not provide medical advice. See disclaimer
Last Modified On:November 11, 2019

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