Dry needling is a treatment used for myofascial pain syndrome. Similar to acupuncture, the treatment involves the use of needles alongside physiotherapy and remedial massage therapy to ensure pain relief and decreased muscle tension.
Our team of dry-needling therapists in Melbourne are equipped to carry out the procedure to help with pain management, muscle injuries, and more. While dry needling is an effective solution for pain relief, you may not be an ideal candidate for the treatment if you have a local infection, or suffer from bleeding disorders, a weakened immune system, or lymphoedema. The procedure is also not recommended for patients with pacemakers, joint replacements, or those pregnant and in their first trimester.
A consultation with our specialist can help you determine if dry needling is the right treatment for your condition.
What makes dry needling effective?
Dry Needling is a treatment that involves inserting very fine needles into ‘trigger points’ in specific areas of your body. Trigger points are caused by hyper-irritability in muscles that are injured, strained, or suffering from repetitive motion. Pain can be experienced at the site or referred to other parts of the body.
Trigger points are often palpable as little nodules or bumps under the skin. When a trigger point is released in the process of Dry Needling, this creates a physiological ‘twitch response’. This evidence-based process stimulates a healing response by causing an increase in blood flow to the area. Tight muscles begin to relax which leads to a reduction in pain and stiffness.
For the majority of patients, a reduction of pain and improved mobility is felt in the first 24 hours. Tailored treatment schedules are determined according to your needs and progress.
Conditions treated using the dry needle therapy
Dry Needling is an excellent adjunct in Physio treatment. Our Physios have many years of experience in safe and effective Dry Needling which is used to treat a wide range of medical conditions such as:
- Chronic and acute pain
- Muscles pain and tightness
- Headaches and migraines
- Back and neck pain
- Tennis elbow
- Tendinopathy (Patella Tendinopathy & Achilles Tendinopathy)
- Sciatic pain
- Sports injuries
In most cases, dry needling is used in tandem with other treatments and therapies for complete rehabilitation and recovery. Depending on your condition and symptoms, our team will create a treatment plan tailored to your needs.
What will a dry needling session at our Melbourne clinic involve?
Before we begin any treatment, we first set up an initial consultation to evaluate your needs and determine the areas that need treatment. Once the problem areas are determined during your consultation with our therapists, the needles are inserted in muscles at the trigger points that need addressing. The needles are left inserted for a few seconds to a few minutes. Your symptoms will help us identify the right treatment measure for you.
Apart from dry needling therapy in Melbourne, we also provide services and treatments such as sports physiotherapy, spinal physiotherapy, knee pain physiotherapy, functional training, gait scan and custom orthotics, running assessments, arthritis management, osteoporosis management, clinical exercises, massage, women’s health, and more.
If you have been dealing with muscle pain, sporting injuries, muscle tension, or decreased muscle function, our team at Hartwell Physio in Melbourne can assess your condition to provide the correct diagnosis and treatment.
You can visit us for a consultation or book an appointment by contacting us to start your journey into complete recovery.