DRY NEEDLING
Changing Lives and Challenging the Status Quo
What is Dry Needling?
Dry Needling is a treatment for the management of neuromusculoskeletal pain and movement impairments. It uses a thin, solid filament needle that is inserted into the skin and stimulates underlying myofascial trigger points, muscles, and connective tissues. The needle enables the therapist to target tissues that are inaccessible by hand. Dry Needling is performed by skilled Physical Therapists that are certified in the procedure.
How Does It Work?
Fine, hair-like needles are placed in or around the area of dysfunction or injury. When the needle is inserted into a trigger point, which is a taut band of skeletal muscle located within the larger muscle group, a local twitch response (LTR) is elicited. This LTR is a quick contraction reflex of the muscle that can be both diagnostic and therapeutic. This can, often immediately, improve function and range of motion as well as decrease or eliminate pain.
Why Dry Needling?
Dry Needle Therapy is used to relieve pain, reduce muscle tension, improve range of motion, and accelerate the healing process. The microtrauma created by the needle causes the body to release proteins and hormones (commonly referred to as growth factors) directly into the injury site to promote advanced cellular healing.
TREAT CHRONIC PAIN, GAIN MUSCLE RECOVERY, AND IMPROVE RANGE OF MOTION
Dry Needling can help with a variety of conditions by which manual physical therapy has insufficiently reduced pain. Some general conditions include:
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- Chronic muscle pain and trigger points
- Joint pain
- Sports and training injuries
- Headaches and migraines
- Vertigo and dizziness
- Neck pain
- Low back pain and sciatica
Go beyond traditional Dry Needling with Apex’s exclusive service, Elite Dry Needle Therapy. Through the use of guided ultrasound technology, Apex’s Elite therapy provides pinpoint accuracy, enabling our therapists to target the area of pain or dysfunction with precision. This next-level treatment option is offered only at Apex and is the ideal therapy to treat specific conditions such as:
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- Specific, localized muscle, tendon injury and/or tear
- Shoulder impingement, tendonitis
- Rotator Cuff tears
- Knee joint arthritis
- Achilles tendonitis and partial tears
- Patellar tendonitis and partial tears
- Golfer or Tennis elbow
- Carpal Tunnel syndrome
Is Dry Needling the same as Acupuncture?
No. Acupuncture is based on ancient Chinese medicine and is performed by an Acupuncturist. Dry Needling is supported by modern Western medicine principles and research and is performed by trained physical therapists.
Does Insurance cover Dry Needling?
No. There are currently no procedure codes for dry needling that are recognized by Medicare or major commercial insurance companies. We offer this service as a self-pay option for your care.
