Autumn Paul, PT, DPT

You may have heard about dry needling from one of your friends or family members and now you are thinking, “What is dry needling? Could I benefit from it?”

Dry needling is where the practitioner uses a solid filiform needle or hollow-core hypodermic needle (similar to an acupuncture needle) and places it through the skin and enters the muscle. The practitioner’s goal is to place the needle specifically into a myofascial trigger point (hyperactive muscle fibers).

These trigger points can be located in a tense band of muscle. For example, many people have tightness/soreness located in their shoulders/neck from the tension that they carry throughout the day.

These hyperactive muscle fibers (tense bands of muscle) can send signals to other parts of your body which are considered “referred pain”.

The goal of dry needling is to pierce these trigger points in order to allow these muscle fibers to relax, which can help reduce your pain levels.

“So what conditions may dry needling help with?”

● Headaches

● Shoulder/neck pain/tightness

● Lower back pain

● Tennis and golfer’s elbow

● Shin splints

● TMJ/jaw pain

● Plantar fasciitis

● Hip Pain

“Can any physical therapist perform dry needling?”

In order to be able to perform dry needling, the physical therapist is required to go through extensive training. This training includes studying human anatomy and hands-on practice. These training sessions are often a weekend course or even several weekend courses.

“Awesome, I want to see a physical therapist who can assess and see if I could potentially benefit from dry needling. How do I make an appointment?”

First, look online to see what location is closest to you. Then, you can request to schedule an appointment with a physical therapist who is certified to perform dry needling.

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References:

Firth C, Meon J, Price M, Taylor J, Grace S. Dry Needling: A literature Review. Journal of the Australian Traditional-Medicine Society . 2020;26(1):22-28. Accessed January 14, 2021.

http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ccm&AN=143040461&site=eds-live

http://www.kinfolkwellness.com.au/dry-needling-adelaide

Dennis Kaster, PT

Unfortunately, one of the best-kept secrets around, is that Physical Therapy is one of the most effective and cheapest ways to get rid of back and neck pain. Most back and neck pain is due to muscle weakness, tightness, poor posture, or work stations that are set up poorly and put extra stress on your body. A Physical Therapist will assess which of these issues is causing the pain and help you to get rid of it by doing things such as specific stretches, strengthening, improving posture, performing treatment to decrease pain or swelling, using better lifting mechanics, or helping you to set up your work or home workstations to put less stress on your body.

The typical process in the past has been that when someone injures their back, they go to a medical doctor. The doctor would decide what to do next, which many times included rest, medications, or expensive imaging. Several years ago a large medical organization, Virginia Mason, broke down the process of medical care for back injuries, looking for the quickest, most effective, and cheapest way to treat low back pain. In the end, they found that people who saw a Physical Therapist first for low back pain recovered much quicker, returned to work sooner and the overall cost of care was much less. This is because Physical Therapists specialize much more in the anatomy and mechanics of how the back works and how to stop and prevent pain. Physical therapists also do not prescribe opioid pain medications. Many times medical doctors prescribe opioid prescriptions, advise patients to rest until the pain goes away, or order expensive medical imaging, which many times is not necessary. Many other research studies have found the same results.

As a result of the findings of multiple research studies, many insurance companies no longer require a physician referral to cover physical therapy, as they realize that people with mechanical low back pain respond much quicker and better if they see a Physical Therapist first. Most people are not aware of this. Several studies have shown that as little as 7% of people with low back pain see a Physical Therapist. This is crazy…..when Physical Therapy is one of the most effective ways to treat low back pain. Also, Physical Therapists have the expertise to recognize more serious medical issues that would require a referral to a medical doctor. So if you see a Physical Therapist first and your pain is due to a medical issue, you can rest assured that the Physical Therapist will recognize it and direct you to the appropriate care. PLEASE HELP US TO GET THE WORD OUT!! IF YOU HAVE BACK OR NECK PAIN, SEE A PHYSICAL THERAPIST FIRST. IF YOU OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW HAS BACK OR ANY MUSCLE OR JOINT ISSUE, LET THEM KNOW THAT PHYSICAL THERAPY MAY BE THE BEST FORM OF TREATMENT FOR IT. If you have questions, please give us a call and we can answer them for you or check with your insurance to make sure our treatment is covered.

References

Furhmans V. Withdrawal Treatment: a novel plan helps hospital wean itself off of pricey tests. The Wall Street Journal. January 12, 2007
Pendergast J, Kliethermes S, et al, A Comparison of Health Care Use for Physician-Referred and Self-Referred Episodes of Outpatient Physical Therapy. Health Research and Educational Trust DOI:10:1111/j.1475-6773.01324.x, Oct. 2011
Mitchell JM, de Lissovoy G. A comparison of resource use and cost in direct access versus physician referral episodes of physical therapy. Phys Ther. 1997;77: 10-18
Moore JH, McMillian DJ, et al. Risk determination for patients with direct access to physical therapy in military health care facilities. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther. 2005;35:674-678
Leemrijse CJ, Swinkles I, Veenoff C. Direct access to physical therapy in the Netherlands: Results from the first year in community based physical Therapy. Phys Ther 88;8:936-946
Kenney. Transforming Healthcare, Virginial Mason Medical Center’s Pursuit of the Perfect Experience. CRC Press, 2011