Dry Needling Greater Valley Park, MO. It’s hard to describe how upsetting it can be when pain and lack of motion in our bodies keep us from the activities we love, or even make daily tasks like reaching for something on the top shelf difficult or even impossible. At Axes Physical Therapy in Valley Park, MO, we are constantly looking for new and evidence-backed treatments to help Valley Park, MO residents recover from their injuries or chronic pain and get back to their active lifestyle. Many of our patients have found that dry needling is a beneficial, simple, and vital 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 Valley Park, MO online or call the location most convenient for you and we will guide 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 in no time.

What is Dry Needling? | Valley Park, MO Physical Therapy

Dry needling, also referred to as trigger point dry needling, uses thin filiform needles to puncture the skin and musculoskeletal tissue in order to reduce chronic pain, enhance range of motion and return you to feeling like you again. Physical therapists often include it in a broader treatment plan along with posture education, stretching, heat therapy, and more. Dry needling should only ever be performed by healthcare professionals in Valley Park, MO, such as the licensed and knowledgeable 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 significantly limit people in their daily lives for months or even years. In our experience and based on our research, dry needling is a simple and affordable option for Valley Park, MO residents who are burdened with the rising cost of medication or have not seen their symptoms improve with other treatments.

We’ve also implemented trigger point dry needling for Valley Park, MO residents 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
• Various hand injuries like carpal tunnel
• Phantom pain
• Sciatica

If you’ve been discouraged by treatments that just aren’t working and are getting anxious to get back to the activities you love, 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 comprehensive and proven treatment regiment with Axes.

How Does Dry Needling Work? | Valley Park, MO Physical Therapy

Dry needling works by attacking trigger points in the body that are the root cause of your pain and lack of mobility. The pain may either be specific to the trigger point, or radiate out to affect an entire joint or muscle group. Trigger points are segments of inflamed knotted 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 softly piercing or tearing damaged muscles or tissue, your Axes physical therapist in Valley Park, MO helps stimulate an instinctive response in your nervous system; the micro-tears signal the body to go into healing mode and promote the flow of blood and crucial nutrients into the area. In addition, the needles will induce 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, which naturally reduces pain and even improves happiness.

Frequently Asked Questions: Trigger Point Dry Needling in Valley Park, 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 Valley Park, MO patients don’t even feel them pierce the skin. You may feel some mild irritation when the twitch response is induced, but it only lasts for a second and is a signal that dry needling is working. Some patients report some soreness in the area for 24 to 48 hours, but after that, you should start feeling the beneficial effects, if not earlier.

Is Dry Needling Safe?

When it’s performed by experienced physical therapists, there is nothing to worry about. All of our physical and occupational therapists in Valley Park, MO are skilled professionals with a extensive understanding of the human body.

Is Dry Needling Really Effective?

Without a doubt, especially when it is part of a larger, comprehensive physical therapy plan. At Axes, our Valley Park, MO physical therapists only develop plans 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?

That depends on you, how severe the pain is, lack of function, and the affected muscle area. 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 penetrate deep into the muscle, as often dry needling is the only way to manipulate harder to reach muscles and tissue. All Axes treatment plans are unique, just like our patients.

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 plan to you to get you the best outcome possible and safely get you back to the activities that you love most.

How Quickly Does Dry Needling Work?

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

Isn’t Dry Needling Just the Same as Acupuncture?

Only in that they use similar needles. Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese medical technique, invented thousands of years ago, that seeks to align a patient’s “chi,” or vital 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 should have access to the effective and evidence-backed physical therapy they need to improve their quality of life 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 Valley Park, 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 Valley Park, 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 knowledgeable physical in Valley Park, MO act as part of your team to devise a customized treatment plan that research and experience tells us is effective. We’ve dedicated our practice to positive patient outcomes 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 wake up, go to sleep, and in between do what you want to do without feeling any pain. Contact a knowledgeable Valley Park, MO physical therapist online or call the location most convenient for you.