Acupuncture and Dry Needling
Acupuncture can help in treating various conditions and it’s an old technique based on Traditional Chinese Medicine. Dry needling is the Western equivalent method that has been researched by many practitioners. Both treatments can speed up your recovery.
pain relief
Acupuncture for Natural Pain Relief and Healing
Acupuncture and Dry Needling are now available at Walkerville Physiotherapy as a part of our physiotherapy treatment. Although they might seem similar, they work in different ways to relieve pain and other symptoms. Acupuncture involves the insertion of fine, sterile needles into acupoints in the body, chosen to help the specific condition that a patient presents with, such as pain, swelling or headaches. These needles help to activate a multi-level healing response: firstly, stimulation of the injured area to initiate local healing; secondly, stimulation of specific nerves to help block pain signals from the spinal cord; finally, activation of the central nervous system to release natural pain relievers such as endorphins. Acupuncture has its roots (many thousands of years ago) in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). According to TCM, acupuncture helps to maintain homeostasis in the body, i.e. regulating the circulation of Qi (the body’s vital energy force) to keep everything in balance.
dry needling
Relieve Muscle Pain Fast with Dry Needling
Dry Needling is quite different from acupuncture, but it is often mistaken for acupuncture. Dry needling is the insertion of thin, solid needles into the skin and muscle directly at a trigger point (not an acupoint) to help relieve pain and to deactivate the trigger point. A trigger point is a small region of hypersensitivity found within a muscle, consisting of multiple contraction knots of the muscle fibres. These trigger points can become so sensitised that they begin to refer pain to different areas of the body. Dry needling is a quick way to help reduce trigger points and allow a muscle to return to its normal function.
Our physiotherapist Johanna has trained extensively in Western and Traditional Acupuncture, as well as dry needling. Contact us if you would like to make an appointment to see her.
