Dry Needling Greater Lake St. Louis, MO. It’s hard to describe how it feels when pain and lack of motion in our bodies is preventing us from participating in the activities we love, or even make basic tasks like climbing the stairs painful or even impossible. At Axes Physical Therapy in Lake St. Louis, MO, we are constantly looking for cutting edge and evidence-backed treatments to help Lake St. Louis, MO residents get back to their active lifestyle, or just finally live pain free again. Dry needling has proven to be an irreplaceable tool for many of our patients that eases pain, releases tension, and restores mobility. We tailor all of our physical therapy services specifically to each client, their injury, and the life they want to live. Contact Axes Physical Therapy in Lake St. Louis, MO online or call the location closest to you and we will guide you away from chronic pain and back to the activities you love. While it may be tough to believe now, with our personalized care you will be leaping for joy in no time.
What is Dry Needling? | Lake St. Louis, MO Physical Therapy
Dry needling, also known as trigger point dry needling, employs thin filiform needles to perforate the skin and underlying muscles and connective tissue in order to alleviate frequent pain, enhance range of motion and return you to the physical lifestyle your used to. Physical therapists often use it to amplify the effects of a holistic treatment plan that can include posture education, manual therapy, heat therapy, and more. Dry needling should only ever be performed by medical professionals in Lake St. Louis, MO, such as the licensed and experienced physical and occupational therapists at Axes.
Dry needling is often used to treat myofascial pain. “Myofacial” comes from Greek, with myo meaning muscles and fascia meaning a “flat band,” or the connective tissue inside and surrounding the muscles. Myofascial pain is referred to as a chronic pain condition that can affect people until they find proven and effective treatment. In our experience and based on our research, dry needling is a simple and economical alternative for Lake St. Louis, MO residents who are burdened with the increasing price of medication or have been frustrated by lackluster results from other treatments.
We’ve also found trigger point dry needling to be effective for Lake St. Louis, MO patients with:
- Soft tissue injuries
- Back pain
- Neck pain
- Knee injuries and other joint problems
- Chronic migraines and headaches
- Arthritis
- Rotator cuff tears
- Certain sports injuries
- Certain spinal issues
- Certain hand injuries like carpal tunnel
- Phantom pain
- Sciatica
If you’ve been disheartened by treatments that just aren’t working and are wondering if you’ll ever get back to the activities you love, make an appointment for a free screening for your injury or chronic pain with one of our expert physical and occupational therapists to discover if dry needling can be implemented into a holistic and evidence-backed treatment regiment with Axes.
How Does Dry Needling Work? | Lake St. Louis, MO Physical Therapy
Dry needling works by focusing on specific areas or regions, known as trigger points, that are the root cause of limiting pain. The pain may either be specific to the trigger point, or radiate out to affect an entire region of your body. Trigger points are segments of inflamed over-stretched or strained muscles or tissue that restrict blood flow to that area and surrounding areas. That makes recovery more difficult. By softly stabbing or tearing damaged muscles or tissue, your Axes physical therapist in Lake St. Louis, MO helps induce an intuitive response in your nervous system; the micro-tears tell the body to start the healing process and promote the flow of blood and essential nutrients into the area. Also, the needles will stimulate a “twitch” response by sending Axons, or nerve fibers, to the affected areathat will make the trigger point less irritable. That that communication to the brain releases endorphins, the body’s own, natural feel-good hormone.

Frequently Asked Questions: Trigger Point Dry Needling in Lake St. Louis, MO
Is Dry Needling Painful?
The needles that physical therapists use in dry needling are eight times thinner than needles used for shots and vaccines, so many of our Lake St. Louis, MO patients don’t even notice them at first. some patients report mild irritation when the twitch response is induced, but it only lasts for a second and shows that the desired effect is already taking hold. You may feel some soreness in the pierced muscle or tissue for up to a couple days, but after that, you should start feeling the beneficial effects, if you haven’t already.
Is Dry Needling Safe?
When it’s done by experienced physical therapists, there is absolutely no risk. All of our physical therapists in Lake St. Louis, MO are knowledgeable professionals with a deep grasp of the human body.
Is Dry Needling Really Effective?
Absolutely, especially when it is part of a larger, comprehensive physical therapy regiment. At Axes, our Lake St. Louis, MO physical therapists only recommend treatments that we know are effective because of our experience and extensive medical and academic studies. Studies show the advantages trigger point dry needling can have for people with injuries or chronic pain.
How Long Do The Needles Stay in For? How Deep They Go?
We base that on you, your level of pain, lack of movement, and the affected region. Some piercings will be largely superficial and the needles will be consistently moved and changed out. Other times, the needles will stay in for a few minutes and will go deeper into the muscle, as often dry needling is the only way to treat tissue deep within the muscles. Your entire experience at Axes will be based exclusively on what is best for you.
How Many Sessions Will I Need?
Again, that we will make a personalized recommendation based on your needs. Some patients see significant improvement after one session, while others need five or six sessions to get the full benefit. We’ll personalize your experience to you to get you the maximum benefit and efficiently return you to doing what you love most.
How Quickly Does Dry Needling Work?
Some Lake St. Louis, MO clients can feel improvements right away, while others will need two or three sessions. Rest assured, all of our patients eventually see improvements.
Are Dry Needling and Acupuncture the Same?
Only in that they use similar needles. Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese medical technique that seeks to balance a person’s flow of energy. Dry needling has its roots in Western medicine and has only been widely used in the last two or three decades.
Will My Insurance Cover Dry Needling?
That depends on your particular insurance plan. At Axes, we believe everyone deserves the professional, personalized, and proven treatment plans they need to live without pain and get back to the active lifestyle they’re accustomed to. If you’d like, we’ll go over your insurance plan and investigate how much coverage you can receive.
Some of the other services we offer in Lake St. Louis, MO are:
- Back Pain Treatment
- Neck Pain Treatment
- Physical Therapy Clinic
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Treatment
- Sciatica Treatment
- Sports Medicine
- Hand Pain Physical Therapy
- Foot & Ankle Pain Treatment
- Hip Pain Treatment
- Plantar Fasciitis Treatment

Trigger Point Dry Needling in Lake St. Louis, MO | Axes Physical Therapy
Many of our patients come to us after months or even years of pain and mobility issues that just won’t go away, even after extensive treatment. At Axes, our professional and knowledgeable physical in Lake St. Louis, MO work with you as a team to develop a personalized treatment plan that research and experience tells us is effective. We’ve pledged our practice to reducing and eliminating pain, restoring mobility, and getting you back to the activities you love most, whether that be sliding into home plate, dominating your local pickleball league, or bending down and picking up your grandkids without feeling any pain. Contact a professional Lake St. Louis, MO physical therapist online or call the location nearest you.










