Will Dry Needling Help Frozen Shoulder?
Dry needling is a therapeutic technique that utilizes acupuncture-style needles to target trigger points in muscles. These knotted areas of muscle can cause pain, tenderness and restricted motion when targeted.
Musculoskeletal conditions that cause pain and stiffness can be treated safely, effectively with this simple yet powerful treatment. It may be used alone or combined with other methods like Chinese herbs and functional corrective exercises for maximum benefit.
What is Dry Needling?
Dry needling is a technique utilized by physical therapists to decrease trigger points and alleviate pain. Trigger points are knotted muscles that can lead to various issues, including discomfort and stiffness.
Trigger points can radiate pain to other parts of your body, making it difficult to move freely. But when these trigger points are treated, your muscle relaxes and blood flow improves.
Dry needling is a safe and effective treatment that can often reduce pain. For best results, patients typically require multiple sessions to achieve the best results.
How is Dry Needling Helpful?
Dry needling is a commonly used practice to help relieve pain, release trigger points and increase range of motion. It usually forms part of an integrated physical therapy approach that incorporates other traditional interventions like acupuncture, massage and manual manipulation.
A therapist’s ability to identify and treat trigger points and other soft tissue injuries is crucial in order to maximize the therapeutic effects of dry needling. To do this, they must possess extensive training in anatomy, physiology, as well as dry needling techniques.
Dry needling can be an effective treatment option for many patients suffering from musculoskeletal issues such as muscle pain, stiffness, weakness and joint stiffness. However, the severity and duration of symptoms must be taken into account when determining how many treatments may be necessary.
Do I Need to See a Doctor?
Acupuncture has been found to be effective in treating frozen shoulder, alleviating pain and increasing mobility. It draws upon traditional Chinese medicine and employs various methods that target healing different conditions.
Dry needling is a technique in which thin needles are used to stimulate the muscle. Your therapist will likely identify a trigger point in your shoulder that’s causing you pain and stiffness.
Once the trigger point has been identified, they will insert a very fine filament needle into it. This causes what’s known as a “local twitch,” or an abrupt spasm of the muscle.
Some patients report improvements in their pain and mobility after just one session. Others may require multiple sessions for optimal results.
Do I Need to See a Physical Therapist?
Frozen shoulder, also known as adhesive capsulitis, is a condition that typically develops gradually and causes a loss of movement in the shoulder. It may be due to an injury or overuse of the arm.
Diabetes, for instance, may cause this side effect of the joint. When diabetes strikes, the arm becomes stiff and painful to move due to this.
Treatment options for frozen shoulder vary depending on the individual. Physical therapy in particular can help restore range of motion and strength to the joint.
Physical therapy involves teaching patients stretches and exercises to increase mobility and reduce pain. They may also perform manual therapies like massage or acupressure for stiffness relief. Finally, the therapist may suggest home exercises to further increase the patient’s range of motion.
What Can I Expect from Dry Needling?
Dry needling is a technique employed by physical therapists to treat myofascial trigger points, knotted muscles that may cause discomfort, tenderness and motor dysfunction.
Trigger points can be present in a number of musculoskeletal conditions, such as frozen shoulder and adhesive capsulitis. They’re commonly located in the neck, upper back, and shoulders but can occur anywhere on the body.
Release of a trigger point relaxes the muscle, allowing more blood to circulate around it. This increases oxygen and nutrients reaching your tissues and decreases pain perception.
Dry needling is typically performed by a physical therapist with expertise in needle use. Your provider will sterilize the needles and make them ready for the procedure, either placing them inside a guide tube or directly into your skin.
If you are interested in learning more about dry needling or other physical therapy services, please contact us to schedule an appointment with our team of specialists.
