First off, what in the heck is Dry Needling? Is that like acupuncture? And why is it called that?
Let's try and keep this simple.
Firstly, it is called "dry" needling because we use a monofilament needle without injectate (as opposed to a traditional hollow-bore needles used in the delivery of corticosteroids, botox, etc.)
Additionally, the word acupuncture literally breaks down to acu (needle) and puncture (no need to explain this one). So, dry needling is similar to what is called acupuncture in that we are indeed using a needle to penetrate the skin to create a change in your symptoms.
But where it differs is in the theoretical construct and theory of the practice.
Acupuncture has been around for 1000's of years and is rooted in Chinese medicine. This includes the treatment of traditional Eastern medical diagnoses such as blood stagnation (among others) and the theory of moving Qi (chi - energy) along various meridian lines in the body.
Dry Needling, on the other hand, is rooted in Western medical philosophy where we insert the same monofilament needles into muscles, tendons, ligaments, and near nerves to create a variety of positive physiological responses within the body.
This treats the conditions that you are familiar with, such as low back pain, neck pain, rotator cuff pain, sprained ankle, knee pain, disc herniations, disc bulges, sciatica, and so much more.
We do this for very specific reasons to create very specific changes in the body. These benefits include, but are not limited to improved circulation, decreased pain, improved mobility, and improved relaxation from a nice nervous system reset.
But let's get down to the big question...Does it hurt?
No! It absolutely does not hurt! When performed correctly by a highly skilled practitioner, the benefits of dry needling are achieved without any adverse events or soreness.
Dr. Patrick is Certified by AAMT/Dry Needling Institute where he has over 150+ EXTRA contact hours in Dry Needling techniques alone - directly resulting in improved outcomes for you!
This is a big reason why it is important to know if your practitioner is actually certified in Dry Needling or has simply taken a few courses and has a shallow understanding of the technique.
For many patients, Dry Needling is the missing puzzle piece as to why they aren’t getting full pain relief.
If you're interested in finding out if Dry Needling can help with your pain, click below to schedule your FREE phone consult to start (and finish) your pain relief journey at Flow Physical Therapy and Wellness in The Woodlands, Texas.
Dr. Patrick Thompson, PT, DPT, OCS, Cert DN.
Owner of Flow Physical Therapy and Wellness
832.299.5447