Dry-needling

Acupuncture involves the insertion of very fine needles through the skin at specific points on the body. There is no injection of any substance and the treatment itself causes minimal discomfort. Acupuncture is safe and effective and is often successfully used as an adjunct to conventional medical care or on its own when traditional medical therapy has failed.

“Classical” acupuncture was developed in China as a system of diagnosing and treating pain and disease. It defines acupuncture as one component of Traditional Chinese Medicine that aims to balance energy and blood in the body in order to keep it functional and healthy. Although proven successful for hundreds of years without the benefit of modern scientific knowledge, it is only in recent years that the scientific and medical communities of Europe and North America have begun to study acupuncture to understand and explain its effectiveness.

Dry needling/medical acupuncture is acupuncture performed by health-care professionals with training in biomedical sciences (e.g., physician, chiropractor, physiotherapists), who combine this treatment with other therapeutic approaches, as needed.

Dry Needling/Medical Acupuncture’s benefits include:

• Encouraging the body to promote natural healing
• Restoring proper function of affected areas of the body
• Reducing or relieving pain

What can Dry Needling / Medical Acupuncture help with?

Dry needling/medical acupuncture can be effective as an individual treatment, or as an adjunct to other therapeutic interventions. The World Health Organization recognizes the use of dry needling/medical acupuncture in the treatment of:

• Neurological and muscular disorders:headaches, neck and back pain, sports injuries, sciatica, osteoarthritis, neuritis and facial pain;
• Digestive disorders:irritable bowel, constipation, diarrhea and gastritis;
• Menstrual and reproductive problems:dysmenorrhea and perimenopausal symptoms;
• Urinary tract disorders:prostatitis and bladder dysfunction;
• Respiratory problems:sinusitis, asthma, sore throat and recurrent respiratory tract infections;
• Stress and psycho-emotional problems.

Dry needling/medical acupuncture stimulates your body’s natural healing mechanisms, helping to restore physical and mental balance. Modern research has shown that dry needling/medical acupuncture elicits a complex set of responses in the nervous system, including the release of chemicals and hormones involved in pain transmission, behavior, muscle and organ activity. The improved biochemical balance produced by dry needling/medical acupunctures stimulates the body’s natural healing abilities, reducing inflammation, and promoting physical and emotional well-being.

Yes, dry needling/medical acupunctures is extremely safe as a modality. Foremost, we use only sterile, disposable needle. The needles are very fine and do not damage the tissues when inserted. People experience differing sensations with dry needling/medical acupuncture. Most patients feel only minimal discomfort as the needles are inserted; some feel no pain at all. Once the needles are in place, there should be no significant discomfort. Dry needling/medical acupuncture does not cause any significant discomfort in the majority of patients. For many people, the treatment is a pleasant experience due to the sense of well-being that usually follows the treatment.

The number of treatments will vary with every individual and the condition being treated. For acute problems, only a few treatments may be required. For complex or longstanding conditions, one to three treatments a week for several weeks may be recommended with less frequent treatment as improvement occurs. Treatment sessions usually last between 15 and 30 minutes. Relief may be immediate or occur within a few hours, or after a few days. In some conditions, several sessions may be required before improvement is noticed.

Typically dry needling/medical acupuncture is combined with other forms of medical or chiropractic care in order to achieve optimal results.

The Doctors at Mount Pleasant Spine Center incorporate dry needling/medical acupuncture in their practice to achieve optimal function, reduce pain and increase performance. This is usually combined with Functional Integrated Therapy in order to achieve the outstanding clinical results. Sometimes dry needling/medical acupuncture on its own is used to alleviate pain and dysfunction, however when used in combination with the other services we provide has created the most success with our patients.