How Dry Needling Can Improve Quality of Life
When scheduling a dry needling appointment, you’re probably looking for relief–from knee pain, lower back pain, TMJ, plantar fasciitis, etc. But successful treatment does so much more than simply treat a specific issue. It can dramatically improve how we experience our lives.
Pain and limited mobility can cause stress, negatively impact our mood, disrupt our sleep, and prevent us from enjoying our favorite activities. Effective treatment can be a game changer.
Let’s take a closer look at how dry needling can improve overall wellness and quality of life.
What Exactly is Dry Needling?
Dry needling is an effective and increasingly popular way to treat a wide variety of musculoskeletal issues. This minimally invasive technique performed by trained professionals involves inserting thin needles into trigger points or areas of muscle tightness.
Benefits of Dry Needling
1. Pain Relief
Whether it’s a brand new or chronic issue, being in pain can really slow you down and put a damper on life. Wherever you’re experiencing pain (e.g., shoulder pain, hip pain, headaches, etc.), this evidence-based technique can cause a significant reduction in pain caused by tight muscles and trigger points.
Less pain can mean better sleep, improved mood, and an ability to return to activities you enjoy–all of which means a happier, healthier life!
2. Increased Mobility and Flexibility
Dry needling targets tight areas to increase your range of motion. Treatments may allow you to move more freely and get back to your favorite activities–from gardening to hiking to playing with your grandchildren. However you like to spend your time, it’s easier and more enjoyable when your body has greater range of motion.
3. Improved Sleep Quality
Pain and discomfort can really ruin a good night’s sleep. By easing muscle tension and pain, dry needling can set you up for a more successful night’s rest–a fundamental part of physical, mental, and emotional well being.
4. Stress Reduction
Living with constant pain can be extremely stressful. And if our go-to stress-reducing activities are off limits because of pain or injury, this can be a double hit to our mental health. Dry needling can help us relax by easing muscle tension and pain, which in turn reduces stress levels. And it can also get us back to our usual activities, which can improve overall mood and quality of life.
5. Accelerated Recovery from Injuries
If you’re an active person or an athlete, injuries can be a major setback. Dry needling boosts blood flow to injured areas, cuts down inflammation, and promotes faster healing. This means you can more quickly return to get back to your sport or activity of choice.
6. Enhanced Athletic Performance
Even if you’re not injured or in pain, dry needling can be a great tool for athletes. It can help keep muscles flexible thereby reducing the risk of injury and boosting your performance. Regular dry needling sessions can help you stay at the top of your game, whether you’re training or competing.
What’s the deal with trigger points?
According to the Integrated Pain Hypothesis, trigger points are formed by an influx of calcium into muscle cells. This influx of calcium causes the muscles to contract, and a nasty feedback loop commences, leading to contracted muscle fibers.
Peripheral sensitization leads to hypersensitivity of neural cells, allowing them to fire at even the smallest stimuli, and a continually contracted muscle, or a trigger point is the perfect stimuli for the PNS to be hypersensitive to. Active myofascial trigger points are one of the major peripheral pain generators for regional and generalized musculoskeletal pain conditions.
By getting rid of the trigger points with dry needling, there is less stimuli that affects the PNS. The hyper-sensitized PNS is less likely to fire if the stimuli (the trigger point in this case) is eliminated. By treating the injured tissue itself, things can improve.
Whatever is important to you, pain and limited mobility can seriously get in the way. Dry needling can help you get on the path to a happier, healthier, and more comfortable life.
Ready to Give Dry Needling a Try?
If you’ve been dealing with stubborn pain and haven’t found relief with other methods, dry needling might be worth a try. It might sound a bit daunting, but our experienced practitioners are here to make the process as smooth and comfortable as possible. We’re happy to answer any questions and talk you through each step.
Book an appointment or give us a call to see if dry needling is a good fit for you.