Dry needling uses an acupuncture needle to stimulate the muscle to produce a neurophysiological reaction and reflex relaxation. The needle encourages blood flow to the treated region, initiating the natural healing process and helping with pain relief. The treatment creates electrical signal in the muscle to enhance the communication and function between the nerve, muscle and brain. These effects improve muscle function in addition to providing pain relief. Immediate effects can also be increased movement and increased strength. Dry needling feels like a brief pin prick sensation and can be a safe, fast and effective procedure in addition to usual therapeutic techniques.
In hand therapy, many common conditions can be treated with dry needling, in addition to other techniques including exercise, load management and splinting. These include thumb pain from overuse or arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, De Quervains Tenosynovitis and non-specific pain syndromes of the upper limb and upper quadrant related to active and latent trigger points within muscles. Your therapist will provide a thorough musculoskeletal assessment to determine the cause of your symptoms and whether dry needling may benefit your condition.
Dry needling should be performed by tertiary qualified therapists with specific additional training in Dry Needling by an organisation accredited with the Australian Physiotherapy or Hand Therapy Association. At GCHT, we can offer dry needling at Ballina, Tweed and Robina clinics by our physiotherapists with accredited qualifications.
Written by: Jodie Robertson – Physiotherapist – Ballina and Tweed Heads