Dry Needling
We are are now offering dry needling, in addition to Chiropractic care and Deep Tissue Massage. While dry needling can be used as a stand alone treatment for certain conditions, it is best utilised as an adjunct to Chiropractic.
What is Dry Needling?
Trigger-point dry needling is an invasive procedure where a fine needle or acupuncture needle is inserted into the skin and the muscle. It is aimed at myofascial trigger points (MTrP) which are hyper-irritable spots in skeletal muscle that are associated with a hypersensitive, palpable nodule. Trigger point dry needling can be carried out at a superficial or deep tissue level.
Trigger point model
Dry Needling- in detail
The trigger point model is a dry needling technique that specifically targets myofascial trigger points. They are thought to be due to an excessive release of acetylcholine from selected motor end-plates. They can be divided into Active and Latent myofascial trigger points.
- Active trigger points can spontaneously trigger local or referred pain. They cause muscle weakness, restricted range of motion and autonomic phenomena.
- Latent trigger points do not cause pain unless they are stimulated. They may alter muscle activation patterns and contribute to restricted range of motion (You may well have noticed a few of these points, when we press into the muscles along the top of your shoulders for example) They are thought to occur in response to unaccustomed physical activity, sustained postures and repetitive low-load stress. However, when sustained, they contribute to continued pain.
- Pain caused by trigger points is due to hypoxia and decreased bloodflow within the trigger point. This leads to a decreased pH which activates the muscle nociceptors (pain sensors) to restore homeostasis. This causes peripheral sensitization.
- Trigger points are also involved in central sensitization. The mechanism remains unclear, but trigger points maintain nocioceptive input into the dorsal horn and therefore contribute to central sensitization.
To book an appointment, please give us a call on 01233 640047. For any additional information, please do not hesitate to email us.