Dry Needling IN Marinette

Are you looking for information about dry needling in Marinette? Many people are uncomfortable with needles, but they can be an effective treatment. Keep reading to find out more from the team at SpineCare: Chiropractic, Rehabilitation and Dry Needling.

---

WHAT IS DRY NEEDLING in Marinette?

Dry needling is a procedure where thin monofilament needles are inserted into skin or muscle to decrease pain, improve muscle function, and aid in tissue regeneration. The needle is “dry” because it does not involve injecting a medicine. This procedure started being explored by western medicine when people who were getting injections in their muscles noticed pain relief before the medicine was actually injected. Although it is a newer technique, it has been heavily researched by medical doctors, physical therapists, and chiropractors and it is safe in the hands of a properly trained practitioner.

---

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Dry needling has many effects on the body that are wide-reaching and get very complicated very quickly. For a full technical explanation please feel free to schedule a free consultation with one of our doctors here, and we will be happy to explain the technical side of things if you are curious. In a more general sense, it causes several physical, neurological, and chemical changes in the body which help to reduce pain, promote healing, improve function, and ease inflammation. It is particularly effective for correcting connective tissue problems in muscles, tendons, ligaments, and joints.

---

TYPES OF DRY NEEDLING?

There are several different types of dry needling, all of which work very well when done properly, but they have a few key differences.

Trigger Point Dry Needling involves inserting the needle into tight, inflamed parts of muscles called trigger points. Usually, the needle will be moved back and forth or twisted to help the muscle relax. This technique is very effective. Deep Static Dry Needling is similar to Trigger Point Dry Needling, but the needle is often inserted deeper and does not move.

Superficial Dry Needling is mainly what we do at our clinic. This kind of dry needling only involves inserting the needle 3-4mm into the skin, not down into the muscles. This kind of dry needling can take a few minutes more to achieve the same effects, but it does not involve moving the needle and the shallow depth of the needle helps avoid some of the more serious side effects.

---

IS IT PAINFUL?

While some types of dry needling can be painful, superficial static dry needling is almost completely pain-free. It is possible to feel a very slight pinch for a short time when the needle is first placed, but this type of needling does not hurt or cause lasting muscle soreness like some other kinds. What kind of needles are used? The needles are the same kind of needles used for acupuncture. They are very thin solid core needles, not hollow needles like the ones used for shots. Because these needles are so small and solid, they do not cut the skin when they are inserted, they just push the skin cells aside slightly. This is why they are pain-free and do not cause damage to the tissues. We also use only brand new, single-use, sterile needles for each patient.

---

DRY NEEDLING VS ACUPUNCTURE

Dry needling and acupuncture look very similar to the untrained eye, but they are in fact very different.

Acupuncture is based on Chinese medicine principles and works to improve health by stimulating different meridians by placing needles into specific points in the body. Acupuncture draws on thousands of years of experience and development and is very effective for a variety of health issues.

Dry needling is a much newer technique that is based on western medicine and uses needles to provoke certain neurological and chemical changes in the body to aid in healing and correct musculoskeletal issues. It does not use predetermined points of needle placement, so the places where the needles are inserted can vary significantly from visit to visit.

---

WHAT ARE THE RISKS?

Dry needling is a very safe and effective procedure in the hands of a trained practitioner. As with any medical procedure, there are some risks including pain at the site of needling, bruising/bleeding, infection, and pneumothorax (punctured lung). These complications are rare and the superficial style of dry needling that we do has an even lower chance of complications occurring.

---

As noted above, our kind of dry needling is almost entirely pain-free. Because the needles are not inserted deeply, they cannot puncture any deep blood vessels, so the risk of bruising or bleeding is minimal. We use only single-use sterile needles to minimize the risk of infection. We use special needle placement when working around the lungs and the shallow depth of the needles makes puncturing a lung almost impossible.

If you are interested in this unique therapy in Marinette, call our SpineCare: Chiropractic, Rehabilitation and Dry Needling team today!