Dry Needling St. Peters, MO | Pain Management

Dry Needling Greater St. Peters, MO. It’s impossible 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 ordinary tasks like standing up or sitting down difficult or even impossible. At Axes Physical Therapy in St. Peters, MO, we are constantly looking for cutting edge and evidence-backed treatments to help St. Peters, MO residents return to normalcy and get back to the activities they love the most. Many of our patients have found that dry needling is a successful, simple, and important part of their larger treatment regiment with us. Our treatment plans are as distinctive as each client, the pain or injury that’s affecting them, and the life they want to live. Contact Axes Physical Therapy in St. Peters, MO online or call the location closest to you and we will guide you toward true pain relief and freedom of mobility. 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. Peters, MO Physical Therapy

Dry needling, also referred to as trigger point dry needling, uses thin filiform needles to penetrate the skin and musculoskeletal tissue in order to reduce frequent pain, enhance range of motion and return you to normal function and the active lifestyle you desire. Physical therapists often include it in a larger treatment plan that can include posture education, stretching, massages, and more. Dry needling should only ever be performed by medical professionals in St. Peters, MO, such as the licensed and skilled physical and occupational therapists at Axes.

Dry needling is often used to treat myofascial pain. The root myo refers to your muscles, while fascia refers to the connective tissue between the muscles. Myofascial pain is referred to as a chronic pain condition that can greatly limit people in their daily lives until they find proven and successful treatment. In our experience and based on our research, dry needling is an easy and economical alternative for St. Peters, MO residents who are burdened with the exorbitant cost of prescription meds or have not seen their symptoms improve with other treatments.

Trigger point dry needling is also ideal for St. Peters, MO patients 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
Various hand injuries like carpal tunnel
Phantom pain
Sciatica

If you’ve been frustrated by treatments that just aren’t producing positive outcomes and are doubting whether or not you’ll ever 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 professional physical and occupational therapists to learn if dry needling could finally be the solution you need to end your chronic pain for good.

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

With dry needling, we treat patients by attacking trigger points in the body that are causing 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 segments of inflamed over-stretched or stressed muscles or tissue that restrict blood flow to that area and surrounding areas. That makes recovery more difficult. By lightly stabbing or tearing the knots in your tissue, your Axes physical therapist in St. Peters, MO helps induce a natural response in your nervous system; the micro-tears influence the body to start the healing process and return blood flow, oxygen, and critical nutrients into the area. Also, 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.

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

Frequently Asked Questions: Trigger Point Dry Needling in St. Peters, 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. Peters, MO patients don’t even feel them until they get deeper into the muscle. You may feel some mild irritation when the twitch response is induced, but it is incredibly brief and shows that the desired effect is already taking hold. Some patients report some dull aches in the area 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 done by qualified physical therapists, there is nothing to worry about. team in St. Peters, MO is made up of knowledgeable professionals with a thorough understanding of the anatomy of the musculoskeletal system.

Is Dry Needling Really Effective?

Absolutely, especially when combined with other pain management and mobility techniques. At Axes, our St. Peters, MO physical therapists only develop plans 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 mobility, and the affected tissue. Some piercings will be incredibly shallow and the needles will only stay in for 15-20 seconds. In other cases, the needles will stay in for a few minutes and go to the core of the muscle, as often dry needling is the only way to treat harder to reach muscles and tissue. All Axes treatment 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. 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 best outcome possible and effectively get you back to the activities that matter most to you.

How Quickly Does Dry Needling Work?

Some St. Peters, MO clients feel immediate relief, while others will need two or three sessions. Rest assured, all of our patients eventually see improvements.

Are Dry Needling and Acupuncture the Same?

This is a common misconception, but no. Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese medical technique that aims to balance a patient’s “chi,” or vital life force. Dry needling has its roots in Western medicine and has only been widely used in the last couple decades.

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 go over your insurance plan and see if dry needling is covered.

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

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

Trigger Point Dry Needling in St. Peters, 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 professional and experienced physical and occupational in St. Peters, MO work with you as a team to design a personalized 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 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. Reach out to a knowledgeable St. Peters, MO physical therapist online or call the location closest to you.

St. Peters, MO