Inlign Osteopathy has now been performing Dry Needling for the last few months. And the response has been great. Some patients have actively asked for dry needling treatments, others are bit more hesitant. And this hesitation is understandable when the technique isn’t widely understood.
What is Dry Needling?
Dry needling uses fine filament needles, such as those used in acupuncture. These needles are used to target specific trigger points to release muscle tension or reset muscles.
The most common way of achieving trigger point relaxation, is to press onto the trigger point which stimulates the area signalling a relaxation response. This method is an easy and effective one. Dry needling is used in the same manner, in that by inserting the needle into the trigger point, a neurological response is elicited to relax the muscle.
Dry Needling is Available at Inlign Osteopathy
Why Use Dry Needling?
Dry needling can achieve the same muscle release results in less time than standard osteopathic massage. Dry needling will generally take 15-20 seconds to release a muscle trigger point. In contrast, osteopathic massage can take about 2 minutes.
When covering a large area of trigger points, needling is much more efficient. Dry needling can also reach trigger points that are found under deeper layers of muscle that simply can’t be accessed by an osteopath’s fingers. And it’s usually these trigger points that are responsible for the deep consistent aches that stay with us.
Wake up Muscles
Dry needling is also a great way to ‘wake up’ or reset muscles that are not working properly. For example if you have a shoulder injury that hinders your movement, your shoulder muscles will begin to lose function as they become underused. By targeting your shoulder area with dry needling, your shoulder muscles can be stimulated to wake up, which puts you firmly back on track to restoring function in your shoulder.
How Does Inlign Osteopathy Perform Dry Needling?
We use dry needling as another treatment tool to help get your body back to optimal health. During your treatment, Dr Anin will proactively recommend the use of dry needling if she feels it’s beneficial to your condition. As with every other technique used during treatment at Inlign Osteopathy, the choice to use dry needling is completely up to you. In a normal week, Dr Anin would recommend about 20% of her patients use dry needling throughout parts of her treatments.
Dry needling will be used in areas of tight muscle that is not responding well or quickly to conventional osteopathic techniques such as massage or manipulation. It may also be used in areas of muscle weakness to stimulate the region and restore muscles to health.
As such, dry needling will be performed during your normal treatment consultation, with no extra charge.
Does it hurt?
You may feel a slight pinch. The art of dry needling sees Dr Anin target specific muscles in order to release them effectively and as quickly as possible. This release process may see your muscle slightly spasm for a few seconds. This spasm may give a deep aching sensation, a twitching sensation or you might not feel too much at all. If a muscle is healthy, then you shouldn’t even feel the needle.
Is Dry Needling Safe?
As always, Inlign Osteopathy wants you to be as safe as possible. Dr Anin has a certificate in dry needling from the Global Education of Manual Therapists, which is recognised by the Australian Osteopathic Association.
It is important to understand:
- You are under no obligation to agree to dry needling. It’s your choice
- There is no additional cost to dry needling
- You can stop the procedure at any time
- All Australian hygiene protocols are strictly followed. No needles are ever shared and all needles used are new
Just to be safe, it’s recommended that pregnant woman in their first trimester do not have dry needling treatments. This is because it’s generally agreed that women in their first trimester have more sensitive bodies, which could react unfavourably under the wrong circumstances.
To book a dry needling treatment, ask for Dr Raissa Anin, when booking an osteopathic treatment with Inlign Osteopathy.