Dry Needling Greater Maryland Heights, MO. It’s impossible to describe how it feels when pain and lack of mobility in our bodies keep us from the activities we love, or even make basic tasks like picking something up off the ground painful or even impossible. At Axes Physical Therapy in Maryland Heights, MO, we are constantly looking for innovative and evidence-backed treatments to help Maryland Heights, MO residents return to normalcy and get back to what they most love doing. Many of our patients have found that dry needling is an effective, easy, and vital part of a more comprehensive physical therapy regiment with us. Our treatment plans are as unique as each client, their injury, and the activity level they’re striving to get back to. Contact Axes Physical Therapy in Maryland Heights, MO online or find the location closest to you and we will shepherd you away from chronic pain and back to the activities you love. While it might sound to good to be true, with our tailored care you will be leaping for joy in no time.

What is Dry Needling? | Maryland Heights, MO Physical Therapy

Dry needling, also referred to as trigger point dry needling, uses thin filiform needles to penetrate the skin and underlying muscles and connective tissue in order to relieve frequent pain, boost range of motion and return you to normal function and the active lifestyle you desire. Physical therapists often include it in a comprehensive treatment plan along with posture education, exercises, massages, and more. Dry needling should only ever be performed by healthcare professionals in Maryland Heights, MO, such as the professional and knowledgeable physical 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 known as a chronic pain disorder that can drastically limit people in their daily lives until they find proven and successful treatment. In our experience and based on our research, dry needling is a safe and cost-effective alternative for Maryland Heights, MO residents who are burdened with the rising cost of prescription meds or have not seen their symptoms improve with other treatments.

We’ve also found trigger point dry needling to be effective for Maryland Heights, MO residents with:

• Soft tissue injuries
• Back pain
• Neck pain
• Knee injuries and other joint conditions
• Chronic migraines and headaches
• Arthritis
• Rotator cuff tears
• Certain sports injuries
• Various spinal issues
• Certain hand injuries like carpal tunnel
• Phantom pain
• Sciatica

If you’ve been flummoxed by treatments that just aren’t producing results and are getting anxious to get back to the lifestyle and routine you love and had grown accustomed to, schedule a free screening for your injury or chronic pain with one of our experienced physical and occupational therapists to learn if dry needling can be implemented into a holistic and proven treatment plan with Axes.

How Does Dry Needling Work? | Maryland Heights, MO Physical Therapy

With dry needling, we treat patients by focusing on specific areas or regions, known as trigger points, that are the root cause of limiting pain. The trigger point can either affect a localized area or affect an entire joint or muscle group. Trigger points are segments of damaged knotted or strained muscles or tissue that restrict blood flow to that area and surrounding areas. That means the affected area is not able to heal as it needs to. By softly stabbing or tearing damaged muscles or tissue, your Axes physical therapist in Maryland Heights, MO helps prompt an instinctive bodily reaction; the micro-tears signal the body to heal the muscle and tissue and return blood flow, oxygen, and vital nutrients into the area. When the tissue is pierced, the needles will prompt a “twitch” response by initiating a nerve pathway that can change the biochemical makeup of the trigger point. That that communication within the nervous system releases endorphins, the body’s own, homegrown pain reliever.

Frequently Asked Questions: Trigger Point Dry Needling in Maryland Heights, MO

Is Dry Needling Painful?

The needles used to penetrate your muscles are eight times thinner than needles used for shots and vaccines, so many of our Maryland Heights, MO patients don’t even notice them at first. You may feel some faint discomfort from the twitch response, but it is incredibly brief and is a signal that dry needling is working. You may feel some dull aches in the affected region for up to a couple days, but after that, you should start feeling better, if you haven’t already.

Is Dry Needling Safe?

When it’s conducted by professional physical therapists, yes. All of our physical and occupational therapists in Maryland Heights, MO are skilled professionals with a extensive understanding of the anatomy of the musculoskeletal system.

Is Dry Needling Really Effective?

Without a doubt, especially when combined with other pain management and mobility techniques. At Axes, our Maryland Heights, MO physical therapists only use techniques and practices that have been proven to work through extensive medical and academic studies. Studies have demonstrated that trigger point dry needling effectively reduces pain and improves function.

How Long Do The Needles Stay in For? How Deep They Go?

That depends on you, your level of pain, lack of mobility, and the affected region. Some piercings will be incredibly shallow and the needles will be consistently moved and changed out. Other times, the needles will remain for as many as 15 or 20 minutes and will go deeper into the muscle, as often dry needling is the most effective way to manipulate 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 depends on you. Depending on your injury or pain and how your body heals, you could need anywhere from one to six sessions to get the most out of dry needling. We’ll tailor your experience to you to get you the best outcome possible and safely return you to the activities that matter most to you.

How Quickly Does Dry Needling Work?

Some Maryland Heights, MO patients can feel improvements right away, while others may have to wait a day, or may not feel the benefits until their second session.

Isn’t Dry Needling Just the Same as Acupuncture?

Not really. Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese medical technique, practiced for thousands of years, that aims to balance a person’s “life force.” 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 should have access to the effective and evidence-backed physical therapy they need to live without pain and get back to the active lifestyle they’re accustomed to. If you’d like, we’ll reach out to your insurance company and see if dry needling is covered.

Some of the other services we offer in Maryland Heights, 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 Maryland Heights, 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 experienced physical and occupational in Maryland Heights, MO work with you as a team to implement a personalized treatment plan that research and experience tells us is effective. We’ve pledged our practice to positive patient outcomes and getting you back to the activities you love most, whether that backward kicks on a soccer field, biking through the park, or just being able to wake up, go to sleep, and in between do what you want to do without feeling any pain. Get in touch with a professional Maryland Heights, MO physical therapist online or call the location most convenient for you.