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Dry Needling? Experiences? Thoughts?
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karm!nR
Good advisor
I have not found dry needling to be helpful, but perhaps it is how you explain... it takes a good therapist. I went to an acupuncturist who said what he was doing - in addition to the general acupuncture treatment - was perfoming dry needling.. but I never felt the results you stated. I never even felt a knot become released.
Do you feel the release? I stopped going because I felt all I was doing was laying down with needles stuck in me but nothing was the feeling of anythign remotely to being beneficial.
mvmentme
Good advisor
Funny thing is I just tried this the other day! I felt nothing. not one twitch, which is impossible because I suffered from a neurological form of torticolis called cervical dystonia. It also caused my posture to be changed to some extent from me having to hold my body in different positions to accommodate the change in posture in neck.
However, I have a new appointment with a different practitioner this week! I will keep you updated! I have heard great things from friends in the state of California where I used to live. Finally, with a better income, decided to invest and try it... but looks like I did not find the right practitioner!
Do they have any training that is just dry needling where you can search for certified practitioner?
AngelaAB
painman
Good advisor
@AngelaAB what kind of practitioner did you use? Were they a chiro, PT, or acupuncturist?
AngelaAB
painman
Good advisor
@AngelaAB I have noticed that Physical Therapists are more skilled in dry needling for musculoskeletal issues. Perhaps try a acupuncturist for the migraines because using needles for migraines uses more the Chinese/Japanes understanding of acupuncture.
Lee__R
Community managerGood advisor
I agree with @painman ... In my own personal experience with dry needling and acupuncture, acupuncturist generally approach the use of the needles from the Chinese medicine approach, using meridians and certain points that coordinate with organs and parts of the body. Unless the acupuncturist has education in sports medicine approach or participated in a rotation in a sports clinic, in which the case the acupuncturist may also employ more musculosketal approaches with the needle, such as the common theory of dry needling, prolotherapy, etc.
In your situation, @AngelaAB, for migraines or anything more systemic, I would recommend seeking out a acupuncturist.
AngelaAB
Thank you both for your responses. I have gone to an acupuncturist in the past for other issues and didn't find much difference but it would be worth going back to try it for migraines.
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painman
Good advisor
Hello all... if you have read any of my posts you will know that I am big proponent of dry needling, or what some call trigger point therapy, but is without any injections into the muscles... just uses the needle - so it is a form of acupuncture.
Finding a clinician though who does it, and does it effectively is difficult. In your search, you want to find someone who actually states they do it on their website or in their reviews because if you call someone who practices acupuncture and ask them about it, they will say they do, but their skills, i have noticed are lacking. You ideally want someone who has trained in dry-needling, not just acupuncture because it is a different art.
The best I have ever found have been physical therapist are a DACM trained practitioner with training in dry-needling!
Many acupuncturists and Chiropractors say they do it ... usually, but you will notice a HUGE difference when they are not actually skilled at it.
A skilled practitioner will place the needle into muscles and move it around like 20-30 times and fast (like seconds) to relieve the muscle buildup - and it feels so great. However, one who is not skilled will take like 30 seconds to a minute to just find the taught muscle and release it and then move to a different area, but not fully resolving all the other taught areas in the place he/she just addressed.
If anyone has any questions for me in regard to this... I am happy to help because it has helped me. I have not had it done for like 3 weeks because I moved to a different state (I had a great practitioner in FL) and I can feel it! I need to go! Thankfully, I hopefully found a practitioner here - will find out tomorrow how well she is!
I am very interested in learning about others opinions and experiences with dry needling.