Dry Needling
Dry Needling can be used by osteopaths in conjunction with traditional osteopathic treatment techniques. If you are suffering from joint or muscle tightness, soreness, or pain, dry needling may be an effective option for you.
Our osteopaths have completed additional specialised training in dry needling to ensure we can offer our patients the services best suited to them. We will comprehensively assess you to determine what techniques will be best for your needs, and if we believe that dry needling will be a good addition to your treatment, we will suggest it to you as a part of your treatment plan.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Our needles are very thin, solid needles (much smaller than the needles used for injections or to draw blood). We insert the needles into trigger points or motor points in a muscle, and leave them in for several minutes to allow them to cause reactions in the body. Your body recognises the needles as something new, and tries to relax your muscles to make the needles fall out. Extra blood flow is also sent to the area as part of the immune response, encouraging inflammation to be removed from the area, and more nutrients to come in to help with tissue healing and recovery.
Combined with other techniques your osteopath will use, and the right treatment and rehabilitation plan, dry needling can be a great treatment option to help you with recovery.
The needles are usually painless, with often only a small pinprick feeling when the needles are inserted - most patients don’t feel anything!
ARE THERE ANY SIDE EFFECTS?
While side effects are very rare, some patients may feel some abnormal sensations around the treatment area, which may last for a few hours or a few days. This is often a sign that the treatment has had it’s intended effect on the tissues, and is usually nothing to be worried about.
Of course, if at any point there’s anything you are uncomfortable with, or if you have a particular preference for your treatment, let our practitioners know and we will make sure your treatment plan is best suited to you.
