Dry Needling Greater St. Genevieve, MO. It’s hard to describe how devastating it can be when pain and lack of mobility in our bodies keep us from the activities we love, or even make daily tasks like reaching for something on the top shelf challenging or even impossible. At Axes Physical Therapy in St. Genevieve, MO, we are constantly looking for cutting edge and evidence-backed treatments to help St. Genevieve, MO residents get back to their active lifestyle, or just finally live pain free again. Many of our patients have found that dry needling is a valuable, simple, and vital part of their larger treatment plan with us. All of our treatment plans are personalized for each client, their ailment, and the life they want to live. Contact Axes Physical Therapy in St. Genevieve, MO online or reach out to the location nearest 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 customized care you will be leaping for joy sooner than you think.
What is Dry Needling? | St. Genevieve, MO Physical Therapy
Dry needling, also referred to as trigger point dry needling, employs thin filiform needles to puncture the skin and musculoskeletal tissue in order to relieve chronic pain, improve range of motion and return you to the physical lifestyle your used to. Physical therapists often include it in a holistic physical therapy plan along with posture education, stretching, heat therapy, and more. Dry needling should exclusively be done by healthcare professionals in St. Genevieve, MO, such as the qualified and skilled 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 considered a chronic pain condition that can greatly limit people in their daily lives until they find proven and successful treatment. We’ve found that dry needling is a safe and economical option for St. Genevieve, MO residents who are burdened with the increasing price of medication or have been frustrated by lackluster results from other treatments.
We’ve also implemented trigger point dry needling for St. Genevieve, MO residents with:
- Soft tissue injuries
- Back pain
- Neck pain
- Knee injuries and other joint conditions
- Chronic migraines and headaches
- Arthritis
- Rotator cuff tears
- Various sports injuries
- Certain spinal issues
- Various hand injuries like carpal tunnel
- Phantom pain
- Sciatica
If you’ve been vexed by ineffective treatments in the past and are doubting whether or not you’ll ever get back to the activities you love, schedule a free screening for your injury or chronic pain with one of our knowledgeable physical and occupational therapists to discover if dry needling could finally be the solution you’ve been waiting for.
How Does Dry Needling Work? | St. Genevieve, 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 sections of inflamed tensed or irritated muscles or tissue that restrict the flow of blood to that muscle. That means the affected area is not able to heal as it needs to. By lightly piercing or tearing damaged muscles or tissue, your Axes physical therapist in St. Genevieve, MO helps induce an intuitive bodily reaction; the micro-tears tell the body to start the healing process and promote the flow of blood and vital nutrients into the area. In addition, the needles will stimulate a “twitch” response by initiating a nerve pathway that can change the biochemical makeup of the trigger point. That tells the brain to release endorphins, which naturally reduces pain and even improves happiness.

Frequently Asked Questions: Trigger Point Dry Needling in St. Genevieve, MO
Does Dry Needling Hurt?
The needles used to penetrate your muscles are eight times thinner than needles typically used at hospitals and doctors’ appointments for injections or blood samples, so many of our St. Genevieve, MO patients don’t even sense them at first. some patients report mild discomfort once the nerve pathways have been activated, 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 noticing improvements in pain and mobility, if not earlier.
Is Dry Needling Safe?
When it’s performed by professional physical therapists, yes. All of our physical and occupational therapists in St. Genevieve, MO are knowledgeable professionals with a thorough grasp of the nervous and musculoskeletal systems and safe practices.
Is Dry Needling Really Effective?
Absolutely, especially when combined with other pain management and mobility techniques. At Axes, our St. Genevieve, MO physical therapists only recommend treatments that we know are effective because of our experience and extensive research. 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?
We base that on you, your level of pain, lack of mobility, and the affected muscle area. Some piercings will be incredibly shallow and the needles will only stay in for 15-20 seconds. Other times, the needles will remain for a few minutes and go to the core of the muscle, as often dry needling is the most effective way to access 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. 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 St. Genevieve, MO clients can feel improvements right away, while others have to wait a day or two after their first appointment.
Isn’t Dry Needling Just the Same as Acupuncture?
Not really. Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese medical technique, practiced for thousands of years, that seeks to balance a patient’s flow of energy. 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 specific 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 feeling like themselves. We are more than happy to contact your insurance company and see if dry needling is covered.
Some of the other services we offer in St. Genevieve, MO are:
- 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
- Stroke Rehabilitation
- Hip Replacement Physical Therapy

Trigger Point Dry Needling in St. Genevieve, 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 qualified and skilled physical and occupational in St. Genevieve, MO work with you as a team to implement a personalized treatment plan that research and experience tells us is effective. We’ve committed our practice to reducing and eliminating pain, restoring mobility, and getting you back to the activities you love most, whether that running a fast break, biking through the park, or just being able to go about your day without feeling any pain. Contact a knowledgeable St. Genevieve, MO physical therapist online or call the location nearest you.












