Have you even seen pictures or videos of people having tiny, metal needles inserted into their neck or shoulders and thought “what in the world are they doing”? We hear that response a lot. You might be asking why someone would purposely let someone stick little needles into their skin. Turns out, that it is actually a natural type of treatment to relieve muscle pain and soreness. Dry needling is a treatment rapidly growing in popularity and once you know the benefits you might just jump on board with them too.
What Is Dry Needling?
Dry needling is a natural form of treatment that uses a fine filament needle that is inserted into a trigger point or sensitive area, typically associated with areas of pain. When the needle is inserted into the trigger point, it produces a twitch-like effect in the muscle fibers, drawing blood into the area to release tension. Check out our latest post about dry needling here.
What Are Trigger Points?
Trigger points form when a muscle is injured, either in a car accident, sports injury, fall or other type of incident. They can also form when the muscle tightens from tension due to stress or overuse. When the knot occurs, the muscle is not getting adequate blood supply which means no oxygen or nutrients are getting to it, allowing it to heal properly. Dry needling allows for an increase in circulation and oxygenation to the white blood cells which helps them repair and heal. If you are experiencing chronic pain due to trigger points, you might be suffering from myofasical pain syndrome.
Dry Needling for Auto Accident Injuries
As mentioned above, dry needling can be used to treat a variety of injuries. Our chiropractors sometimes use dry needling later in a patient’s treatment plan to treat their auto accident injuries or remnants of their injuries, such as scar tissue build up. Dry needling can be used to increase circulation through controlled inflammation, to break up scar tissue and adhesions and muscle spasms. Our chiropractors do not usually use dry needling in the beginning of a patient’s treatment plan because they are typically too sensitive to the acute inflammation of their injury or condition. It is always important for your doctor to recognize which course of treatment is best in each stage of your recovery. Even though dry needling is great in helping relieve the tension of trigger points and scar tissue build up, you want to allow your injury to begin to heal first, or you may end up doing more damage than good. If you have been injured in an auto accident, you should seek the care of a chiropractor immediately. Chiropractors are the industry leaders in auto accident injury treatment and will know the best course of treatment to help heal your injuries as quickly as possible.
Natural Pain Relief
One of the biggest benefits to chiropractic care and treatments such as dry needling, is the holistic and natural approach to pain relief. Here at Kaizo Health, our doctors and their team will put together a comprehensive and individualized plan of hands-on treatment and rehabilitative exercises that will help to heal your injuries in a safe way. Don’t let someone write you a prescription that will mask the symptoms for something that can and should be treated naturally. Our doctors’ goal is to always get to the root of the issue. Trust us… getting to the root issue of the problem and finding a natural pain solutions will benefit you much more in the long run. At Kaizo Health, our goal is to always treat and heal the injury, not just mask it with a prescription Our combined approach of chiropractic care and rehabilitative exercises is proven to be more efficient and successful than one approach alone. So far, we have helped more than 100,000 people in the Washington, DC area live pain-free lives.
Acupuncture vs. Dry Needling
Now that you know about all the awesome benefits of dry needling, you might be wondering what is the difference between dry needling and acupuncture? Although they are similar practices that both use small filament needles, the two treatments are actually very different. Dry needling focuses more on muscular pain and injuries to the body whereas acupuncture is focused on removing blockages on energy levels. At Kaizo Health, our doctors who perform dry needling have completed the proper and necessary medical training and are certified to perform this type of treatment. When performed correctly, the benefits of dry needling include relief for muscular pain and tension, improved flexibility, increase in range of motion, and long-term pain relief. Benefits for acupuncture include relief from nausea, allergies, and short-term pain relief. Based on the benefits, you can understand why dry needling would be best for musculoskeletal injuries, including injuries suffered from auto accidents. In addition, it is important to make sure you are seeking care from a certified practitioner.
Get Treated at Kaizo Health
Our goal at Kaizo Health is to always get you back to feeling 100%. Not only will our doctors provide treatment to help you be pain-free, but we also have a dedicated team that will work with you and your insurance to make sure you get the most from your benefits so that you can experience relief for as little cost to you as possible. If you are ready to experience relief from the pain, make an appointment to see us now.
At Kaizo Health, our world-class team of chiropractors in Rockville, MD; Landover, MD; Fort Washington, MD; and Fairfax, VA, practices an evidence-based approach combining chiropractic care and guided, individualized rehabilitative exercises prescription. We provide the treatment and resources you need to recover your health and strength as best-in-class, state-of-the-art chiropractors. We are here to help! In the meantime, make sure that you check out our blog for more information on the chiropractic field, as well as our free virtual self-assessment chiropractic web app here.
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