Athletes Turn To Dry Needling To Relieve Muscle Pain
Athletes know there’s nothing more frustrating than being sidelined by injury. Yet injuries are a reality of playing sports. Statistics show 90% of student-athletes have reported some sort of sport-related injury. For athletes dealing with muscle injuries or pain, Myofascial Trigger Point Dry Needling can offer relief.
At Comprehensive Rehab, we use dry needling either on its own or to complement other physical therapy treatments. It is an effective treatment for pain and can offer faster recovery.
What is dry needling?
During this treatment, a trained physical therapist will insert thin monofilament needles into the skin to treat underlying muscular trigger points.
What are trigger points?
According to Mayo Clinic Health System, “a trigger point is a local contracture or tight band in a muscle fiber that can disrupt function, restrict range of motion, refer pain or cause local tenderness.”
A trigger point in muscle fiber can be imagined as a bowl of spaghetti, with the fibers jumbled and piled like noodles. When dry needling is applied to a trigger point, it helps bring order to the jumble of “noodles” by drawing white blood cells and plasma cells to the area to help begin the healing process.
What happens during a dry needling session?
During a dry needling session, a physical therapist uses their scientific understanding of the neuro-anatomy of the body to identify trigger points, sometimes described as feeling like “marbles” or “pinheads” beneath the skin.
Once the therapist identifies a trigger point and inserts the needle, the therapist will manipulate the needle until a “twitch” muscle response occurs.
This stimulation of the trigger points is an effective treatment for pain and can jumpstart an athlete’s recovery process.
Is it painful?
Because the process uses needles, many patients are concerned the procedure will hurt. However Comprehensive Rehab dry needling patients say the process isn’t painful. Instead, they describe it as “a different sensation.”
Patient Client Williams said, “You kind of cringe at first when you think of needles, but the process doesn’t hurt. It’s just a weird feeling.”
Because dry needling targets the muscles and aims for “twitch” response, patients say their muscles do “get a workout” during the session.
“There are times when you’ll be pretty worn out after a session. It’s like you went to the gym for hours,” said Williams.
How can it help athletes?
Dry needling can be administered throughout most of the body, including the head and shoulders, and can target muscle and ligament strains and pulls including those developed in active sports (such as football, basketball, soccer and wrestling) and injuries from repetitive sports (such as golf, tennis or bowling).
The procedure does not involve medication and complements other physical therapy treatments. Sessions are short — 20 or 30 minutes — and minimally invasive.
Exercise science researchers from Winthrop University studied the treatment for performance and recovery in NCAA Division I athletes and their research, published in The Sport Journal, found that “Athletes who experienced dry needling reported that dry needling was effective and comfortable for efficient and speedy recovery. They also reported that they would recommend others to use this recovery treatment.”
Comprehensive Rehab offers dry needling expertise
Physical therapists at Comprehensive Rehab use this procedure to help athletes at all levels recover from injury or help manage pain.
To learn more about the treatment, contact Comprehensive Rehab.