An acute injury, repetitive strain, or prolonged tension can cause myofascial trigger points. Often colloquially referred to as knots in the muscle, myofascial trigger points are specific spots in a skeletal muscle that are hyperirritable. Any contact with the trigger point can cause acute pain, which often refers to a different area of the body than the trigger point’s location. Dry needling physical therapy is a technique that has proven effective against myofascial pain from trigger points. Here are some of the ways it may benefit you.
Deactivating the Trigger Point
Dry needling involves inserting very fine needles into the trigger point. These needles are sterile and are only used once before they are disposed of. Because they are so thin, they do not hurt when they are going in. However, the muscle often gives a local twitch involuntarily when the needle comes in contact with the trigger point.
Dry needling deactivates the trigger point so that it no longer causes pain. Some people have decreased pain immediately upon leaving Oklahoma physical therapy after a dry needling appointment, while others have to have several sessions before they start feeling the effects.
Boosting Your Blood Flow
Chronic tension can impede blood flow to the muscles, meaning that they aren’t getting as much oxygen as they are supposed to. Adequate blood flow is also necessary to heal any damaged tissues in the body. Myofascial pain may increase the tension, further cutting off the blood flow.
Dry needling may help you to break out of this cycle and relieve the pain. Trigger points can cause muscles to become stiff, but by deactivating the trigger points, dry needling helps them to loosen. This allows blood to flow freely into areas that haven’t been receiving enough oxygen.
Effectively Diminish Inflammation
Inflammation is your body’s reaction to a possible threat, such as an injury or a pathogen that can cause disease. Essentially, inflammation is like a signal flag that tells your body where you need help. Signs of inflammation include swelling, redness, and pain. Inflammation can be an important tool in keeping you healthy, but if it lasts for a long time, it can become a problem in itself.
As part of physical therapy near me, dry needling can trigger a healing response that helps to relieve inflammation. Boosting blood flow to the affected area is one way that it helps to diminish inflammation as the blood carries nutrients and immune system substances that body tissues need to heal.
Dry needling also stimulates the nerves, which then send signals that tell your body to deliver endorphins to the affected area. Endorphins are naturally occurring chemicals that have an analgesic effect on the body. They attach to pain receptors in your cells so that, while the pain may still be present, you can no longer feel it. This gives the healing response a chance to work and may also help improve your mobility if pain limited your movement.
If you have chronic pain, dry needling may provide relief after other treatments have failed. Talk to a physical therapist about the possibility that dry needling could benefit you.
