Acupuncture and Dry Needling are useful modalities to provide pain relief and assist injury rehabilitation.
What is Acupuncture?
Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese Medicine that originated in China over 5000 years ago. It’s based on the belief that health is determined by a balanced flow of “qi” which circulates around the body. “Qi” is the bodies vital energy that flows through us, which consists of the opposing forces of yin and yang. It flows through 14 major channels known as meridians that link every part of the body and all the organs.
An imbalance in the flow of “qi” leads to disharmony. This can be presented in varying forms such as pain, stiffness, headaches, fatigue, nausea and mood disturbances. Acupuncture restores the smooth flow of “qi” around the body.
The treatment is tailored to each individual, an assessment of your current symptoms, medical history, diet, digestive system and sleeping patterns will be made. Single-use, sterile, threadlike needles are inserted into specific points to rebalance the energy and trigger the body’s natural healing response. The treatment itself is a relaxing and calming experience.
What is Dry Needling?
Dry Needling is an effective way to eliminate trigger points in taut muscle bands found in many acute and chronic injuries or pain syndromes. In the case of trigger point treatment, needles are inserted directly into the muscle trigger points. These are overactive areas of muscle and fascia, a tough connective tissue that wraps around most of the structure of the human body.
The needle is inserted into the taut band within the muscle until a “twitch response” is achieved. Often a number of twitches are achieved within a session. There is then a reflex relaxation and lengthening of the muscle and trigger point. For tendon problems, the needle is inserted directly into the injured tendon. This stimulates an inflammatory response around the tendon in the hope of promoting healing in chronic tendon injury.
Dry Needling is based upon Western medicine principles of treating myofascial trigger points, which are different to traditional Acupuncture points. The physiotherapists using Dry Needling techniques at PhysioPlus have undergone specific training in this area.
