DRY NEEDLING
Dry Needling is a technique physical therapists use, where legal, for the treatment of pain and movement dysfunctions. The technique uses a "dry" needle, meaning without medication or injection, inserted through the skin into areas of muscles. This may be applied to “trigger points” in the muscle which cause pain at the source or in another location away from that point (the “referral point”). These trigger points are over active points in a muscle which are sometimes felt as “knots”. In addition to causing pain, they can create weakness and stiffness in the affected muscle.
Treatment begins with a thorough evaluation to identify the bodies dysfunctions related to your current problem. This includes identification of active trigger points. Dry Needling treats trigger points by inserting a very thin needle in the trigger point in order to deactivate it. Successful deactivation of the trigger point can be expected to relieve pain at the trigger point site as well as at any referral point. In addition, successful treatment should lead to improved strength and extensibility of the affected muscle.
After effects of dry needling is likely to include some soreness, often described as similar to that experienced after a serious workout. The needles used are very thin and usually not painful in normal muscle, but in dysfunctional muscle tissue may initially be uncomfortable and may even radiate to the referral points. However, as the trigger point deactivates, this can be expected to subside. One of the goals of treatment is to create a local inflammatory response for the treated area, so the patient should avoid use of heat or NSAIDs until the next day to allow that response to do it’s work. Rest and ice should be used if needed the day of treatment. While some benefits may be seen immediately, often full benefit is noted after a day or so.
Cost: This is a cash pay only service: Most insurance, including Medicare does not cover dry needling. Therefore we offer this only as a cash-pay service that is billed and documented separately from your physical therapy visit. We charge $100 for the initial evaluation and $50 for dry needling. After that $50 for dry needling sessions ( 30 minute sessions).
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