Dry Needling can result in many benefits for the body. It was originally inspired by traditional Chinese medicine but adopted by countless physical therapists, chiropractors, and other Western medicine doctors like myself. It is a technical art that dates back to the 1940’s with Dr Hane Travell, who identified the muscular trigger points and referral patterns brought on with “wet needling,” She soon discovered that “dry needling” gave the same results.
Dry needling and acupuncture are as different as fire and ice. They only have one thing in common: the needle (we’ll discuss the differences in another blog post). The dry needling technique we know today was developed by a Czech physician, Karel Lewit, in 1979.
Here, I demonstrate the different techniques used in dry needling therapy.
5 Different Types of Dry Needling and AREA OF benefits:
- Superficial Dry Needling is inserting the needle directly over the MTrP itself. More than often used in Japan. The needles usually remain for 20 minutes. Dr Peter Baldry himself regarded this technique as a valid method for de-activating trigger points.
- Trigger Point quick release is usually for trigger points that are tender and painful upon palpation. The needle is inserted and withdrawn after no more twitching occurs in the muscle.
- Threading is a manipulation technique performed on a single plane or multiple planes. It is an excellent treatment to stimulate muscle fibres and elicit segmental effects. Not appropriate over the pleura or lung fields.
- Flicking is a softer manipulation technique to elicit ‘needle analgesia.’ Causing a less invasive stimulation, which may result in pain reduction resulting from the stimulation of the fibres.
- Electro-Dry Needling, without any contraindication of using this method. EDN can be a helpful treatment to produce healing effects in the muscles and painful sites. The frequencies of the machine release different opioid peptides. Contribution to the knowledge of the stimulation of Needling owed to Ji-Sheng Han with the experimentation of Hz.
If you’re in Sydney, come visit me at ‘Next Phase Therapy’
1/444 Hume Hwy, Yagoona NSW 2199 for a treatment.
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