Sore muscles can be difficult to deal with, especially if your massage oils and rollers just won’t suffice. For more intense aches and pains, dry needle treatment by a trained specialist is your best bet. Dry needling can relieve your worst pain problems in the nick of time, making it the ideal recovery route.

Dry needling is essentially an intervention designed to target muscle and joint pain. It is a newer practice based on acupuncture. However, during acupuncture, the needles are placed according to the Qi Meridian of Traditional Chinese Medicine; during dry needling, the needles are inserted directly at the site of pain. “Dry” pertains to the fact that it doesn’t involve the use of anesthetics of saline, just the needles directly inserted into the trigger points.

What occurs at the cellular level with dry needling is a complex process. However, a shortened version is that the needle inserts into a trigger point in the muscle, which elicits a twitch response. This causes the body to activate an immune response to help with healing and decreasing pain. In addition, increased blood flow to the area occurs.

Although it can bring intense, immediate relief, dry needling is only effective in the hands of a highly trained specialist. Here are the main reasons you need to carefully vet your dry needling practitioner:

Reason #1: Needles Are Used

The same needles are used for dry needling as for acupuncture—thin filament needles. This alone is a compelling reason that dictates the need for an experienced professional. The needles are single-use only, and the gauge and length of the needles vary according to the patient’s needs.

Anatomy knowledge is also key, as dry needles require precision and expertise. Dry needling targets specific areas to relieve pressure and pain. In other words, expertise is needed to evoke the right kind of localized twitch response, one that decreases pain and contraction, and improves flexibility.

Reason #2: It Deals with Chronic and Acute Conditions

Seeing that dry needling deals with chronic pain and other acute conditions, having a professional perform the practice is crucial. Dry needling targets those areas that manual physical therapy cannot, such as overuse injuries like tennis elbow, runner’s knee, and tendinitis of the rotator cuff.

Without the expertise and knowledge, dry needling can end up being a dangerous prospect. At the very least, the treatment may not work. At its worst, however, mishandled dry needling practice may end up worsening conditions.

Reason #3: Not Everyone Is an Ideal Candidate for Dry Needling

The benefits of dry needling are undeniable, but there are people who cannot receive the treatment. As such, an expert is needed to identify those who are fit for the treatment and those who are not.

Some people have phobias with needles, while some have abnormal reactions to any kind of injections. People with blood-clotting disorders and the immunocompromised cannot receive the treatment either, as it can lead to dangerous reactions.

Finding the Right Dry Needling Practitioner

The best way to know if a physical therapist is right for you is to simply do your research. Going through the internet for reviews is one thing, but asking for recommendations is even better. Examine a practitioner’s training and experience.

You may need to dig deeper for additional information, such as requirements and coursework that will bring your answers. You also need to get a hold of their license, as this will help you know more about what they can actually offer you. By taking matters into your own hands, you save yourself a bit of trouble and hopefully avoid potential painful encounters.

Dry Needle Treatment in Jacksonville, FL

If you wish to try the wonders of needle treatment in Jacksonville, FL, at Dry Needle Pain Relief, we offer the best possible services. As a chiropractor with an Integrative Dry Needling (IDN) certification, Dr. Chanatry can help you recover from those pesky pains that won’t seem to end. Book a consultation with us today!