Dry Needling St. Charles, MO | Pain Management

Dry Needling Greater St. Charles, MO. It’s impossible to describe how debilitating it can be when pain and lack of mobility in our bodies won’t allows us to participate in the activities we love, or even make ordinary tasks like climbing the stairs painful or even impossible. At Axes Physical Therapy in St. Charles, MO, we are constantly looking for new and evidence-backed treatments to help St. Charles, MO residents get back to their active lifestyle, or just finally live pain free again. Dry needling has proven to be an invaluable tool for many of our patients that alleviates pain, softens stiffness, and restores mobility. Our treatment plans are as distinctive as each client, their injury, and the activity level they’re striving to get back to. Contact Axes Physical Therapy in St. Charles, MO online or find the location closest to you and we will shepherd you toward true pain relief and freedom of mobility. While it might sound to good to be true, with our personalized care you will be skipping out the door sooner than you think.

What is Dry Needling? | St. Charles, MO Physical Therapy

Dry needling, also referred to as trigger point dry needling, employs thin filiform needles to perforate the skin and underlying muscles and connective tissue in order to relieve chronic pain, improve range of motion and return you to feeling like you again. Physical therapists often use it to amplify the effects of a broader treatment regiment that can include posture education, stretching, electrical stimulation, and more. Dry needling should only ever be performed by medical professionals in St. Charles, MO, such as the professional and knowledgeable physical and occupational therapists at Axes.

Dry needling is often used to treat myofascial pain. “Myofacial” is rooted in 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 for months or even years. We’ve found that dry needling is a safe and cost-effective option for St. Charles, MO residents who are burdened with the increasing 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 St. Charles, 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
Certain spinal issues
Various hand injuries like carpal tunnel
Phantom pain
Sciatica

If you’ve been discouraged by treatments that just aren’t producing results and are wondering if you’ll ever get back to the lifestyle and routine you love and had grown accustomed to, make an appointment for a free screening for your injury or chronic pain with one of our knowledgeable physical and occupational therapists to learn if dry needling could finally be the solution you’ve been waiting for.

How Does Dry Needling Work? | St. Charles, MO Physical Therapy

With dry needling, we treat patients by attacking trigger points in the body that are the root cause of your pain and lack of mobility. The trigger point can either affect a localized area or affect an entire region of your body. Trigger points are sections of damaged over-stretched or irritated 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 puncturing or tearing damaged muscles or tissue, your Axes physical therapist in St. Charles, MO helps prompt a natural bodily reaction; the micro-tears tell the body to heal the muscle and tissue and return blood flow, oxygen, and essential nutrients into the area. Also, the needles will induce 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, which naturally reduces pain and even improves happiness.

Dry Needling St. Charles, MO | Pain Management | Trigger Point Dry Needling Near St. Charles

Frequently Asked Questions: Trigger Point Dry Needling in St. Charles, 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 St. Charles, MO patients don’t even sense them pierce the skin. some patients report mild irritation once the nerve pathways have been activated, but it lasts for less than two seconds and shows that the desired effect is already taking hold. You may feel some soreness in the affected region for 24 to 48 hours, but after that, you should start feeling better, if not earlier.

Is Dry Needling Safe?

When it’s performed by qualified physical therapists, yes. All of our physical and occupational therapists in St. Charles, MO are knowledgeable professionals with a thorough understanding of the anatomy of the musculoskeletal system.

Is Dry Needling Really Effective?

Without a doubt, especially when it is part of a larger, comprehensive physical therapy regiment. At Axes, our St. Charles, MO physical therapists only develop plans that we know are effective because of our experience and extensive research. Studies show that trigger point dry needling effectively reduces pain and improves function.

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 body part. Some piercings will be largely superficial and the needles will be consistently moved and changed out. In other cases, the needles will remain for a few minutes and will go deeper into the muscle, as often dry needling is the most effective way to manipulate tissue deep within the muscles. All Axes physical therapy regiments are unique, just like our patients.

How Many Sessions Will I Need?

Again, that we will make a personalized recommendation based on your needs. 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 personalize your plan to you to get you the best outcome possible and efficiently return you to doing what you love most.

How Quickly Will I See Results With Dry Needling?

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

Are Dry Needling and Acupuncture the Same?

Not really. Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese medical technique, invented thousands of years ago, that seeks to balance a person’s “life force.” Dry needling is based on Western medicine and has only recently become widely used by physical therapists and other medical professionals.

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 feeling like themselves. We are more than happy to contact your insurance company and investigate how much coverage you can receive.

Some of the other services we offer in St. Charles, MO are:

Dry Needling St. Charles, MO | Pain Management | Trigger Point Dry Needling Near St. Charles

Trigger Point Dry Needling in St. Charles, MO | Axes Physical Therapy

We’ve seen so many patients frustrated by an inability to find pain relief or a return to normal function and activity through medication or other treatments. At Axes, our licensed and knowledgeable physical in St. Charles, MO work with you as a team to devise a tailored treatment plan with a proven track record of success. 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, biking through the park, or bending down and picking up your grandkids without feeling any pain. Get in touch with an experienced St. Charles, MO physical therapist online or call the location closest to you.

St. Charles, MO