Acupuncture and dry needling involve the insertion of very fine needles into specific points in the body and are a great way of reducing pain and improving tissue function. They can be used on their own or in addition to other hands on treatments and exercise to treat pain and injury. The needles used are very fine and it is actually much more comfortable than most expect.
Traditional Chinese acupuncture has been around for over 2000 years and is based on the insertion of needles into specific acupuncture points along pathways or meridians in the body. This is done to assist in balancing the flow of “qi” energy in the body to restore normal function.
Dry needling is similar to acupuncture, involving the insertion of the needles into trigger points in the muscle. A trigger point is a discrete, irritable, overactive point in the muscle or fascia that can be felt as a nodule or band in the tissue. Placing a needle into one of these trigger points results in a reflex relaxation of the overactive, tight band, resulting in decreased pain and restoration of normal muscle function.
Reflex Relaxation
It is now well understood that many traditional Chinese acupuncture points are also trigger points in the muscles. Each muscle develops these tight knots and bands in distinct areas when the muscle is over worked or injured. Insertion of needles into these trigger points has been shown to cause a reflex relaxation of this tight muscle, restoring normal muscle function and decreasing pain.
There has also been a demonstrated release of the body’s own natural pain killers in the spinal cord when the needles are inserted, assisting in decreasing pain from injury.
Our Approach
At Greenwich Chiropractic Dr McMaster applies a modern western approach incorporating acupuncture principles which have stood the test of time and been shown to be an effective way of treating many painful injuries.
