Dry Needling to Treat Long-Term Pain & Improve Performance
Many of us have a love/hate relationship with needling, I absolutely love the results when I get treated, and when I treat my patients,...
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Dry Needling
Sandycove's therapists achieve fast, excellent results with Dry Needling. The technique releases contraction knots/ triggers to reduce muscular and myofascial pain. It results in a local twitch response (an involuntary spinal reflex) which is both diagnostic (only occurs when we hit the trigger/ taut band) and therapeutic as it breaks the pain cycle. Allowing the muscle to operate painfree.
The technique requires intricate understanding of the bodies nervous system. Clinical research indicates that the technique decreases muscle contraction, reduces chemical reaction, improves flexibility and decreases pain. Learn More
TESTIMONIALS
I have being going to Gillian for nearly a year on an off. She has an understanding of what you are going through with injury. I did damage to my glut from the mini Marathon and after a few weeks I went to Gill she gave me great exercise to help strengthen my lower back and hip area. Dry needling and shock wave therapy. In a few months I was back running . Gill is a Pilates teacher and does classes on a Monday . I totally would recommend give it a go.
Emer
I was very impressed with the treatment I received from Aine. I had a lot of pain in my mid back for 2 weeks, getting no relief & could not get comfortable. I was not sleeping and got no relief from medication. I had one session of dry needling & couldn't believe the relief. I was back playing with my kids and totally painfree. Thank you Aine, I highly reccomend you.
David
I always feel relaxed as soon as I arrive at Sandycove Physio. Have had several treatments for sciatica and a bad broken wrist involving surgery. Deep needling was really effective and professionally administered. I found that Sandycove Physio genuinely provided the best therapies and advice for a fast recovery. Each session has been valuable.
-Maeve
Testimonials
Dry Needling
Dry needling targets myofascial trigger points to alter your body's pain response. Myofascial trigger points can consist of multiple contraction knots, thought to be due to an excessive release of acetylcholine from select end plates. They are generated by overuse, overstretching, or overloading of a muscle.
There are 2 types-Active and Latent.
An active trigger point can spontaneously trigger local pain in the vicinity of the trigger point or can refer pain or paraesthesia to more distant locations.They cause muscle weakness, range of motion restrictions and several autonomic phenomena.Latent triggers do not cause pain without being stimulated, but they alter muscle activation patterns and contribute to limited range of movement.
Factors such as trauma, temperature changes, poor posture can contribute to latent triggers.
Muscle dysfunction can be the primary or secondary contributing factor to many neuromusculoskeletal conditions and pain cycles.
What happens when an injury occurs from repetitive use or acute trauma?
Inflammation will be produced from the damaged tissue. The damaged tissue will also go into a protective tension state or contracture to guard against further injury. This contracture and inflammation inhibits microcirculation which limits oxygen reaching the injury and waste products leaving the injured site. The injured site becomes hypoxic (decreased in oxygen) which stimulates the body to produce fibroblast cells that produces fibrosis or scar tissue.
This fibrosis and scarring builds up around the muscles and tissues limiting the tissues ability to fully function i.e. lengthen and shorten, it will cause nerve compression and irritation (pain), and biomechanical disturbances in function and sporting ability. This holds the muscle tight and causes continued spasm and pain.
Examples of musculoskeletal conditions;
Repetitive stress, tendonitis, muscle strains.
Back, neck and head pain.
Sciatica
Plantar fasciitis.
Rotator cuff impingement
Iliotibial band syndrome
Sacroiliac joint dysfunction
Patellofemoral joint dysfunction.
Golf and Tennis elbow
Learn More
Is dry needling painful?
Most people do not feel the insertion of the needle. A healthy muscle feels very little to no discomfort. When we hit the trigger, the local twitch response elicits a brief pain and cramping and /or deep aching sensation. Elicitation of local twitch response and recognizable referred pain is a good and desirable reaction because it confirms a possible source of dysfunction. People soon learn to recognise and welcome this sensation as it results in deactivating the trigger point, reducing pain and restoring normal length and function to the involved muscle.
How long does it take for the procedure to work?
In some cases improved mobility and decreased pain is immediate. Typically the muscle feels achy and bruised for a few days – pain relief, stretching and icing may be recommended. Usually an increase in flexibility is immediate. It can take a few days to see an improvement with your pain. You may be tired after the treatment and may need to rest after, this depends on the release achieved and how long the muscle has been in the pain cycle. It may take a few sessions to gain a lasting positive effect. We are trying to cause mechanical, biochemical and neurological changes, therefore we are looking for a cumulative response to deactivate trigger points, disrupt pain and restore optimal muscle function.
Acupuncture for Womens Health
Acupuncture is a method of encouraging the body to promote natural healing and to improve functioning. This is achieved by inserting hair-thin sterilised needles into pre-determined points along the body in orderto re-balance and restore health and well-being.`
Fertility
Acupuncture can assist and improve the chances of conception, by preparing the body for the journey ahead. It is important that both partners are in good health at the time of conception to give the best possible start to the new life. Many women will receive Acupuncture to improve their health and general qi and blood circulation before conceiving. For those couples going through assisted fertility Acupuncture works as a great adjunct therapy to improve success rates and decrease stress levels and side effects of medications. In particular there is evidence based research to suggest that acupuncture pre and post embryo transfer can improve success rates by almost 50%. Marianne has over 10 years experience in supporting couples through assisted fertility having
previously worked in Sims IVF clonskeagh.
Pregnancy
During pregnancy many women seek the help and support of regular Acupuncture treatments. It is a complementary therapy that is safe, effective and comfortable to receive throughout your pregnancy. Pregnancy is such a special and exciting time in womens lives; Marianne acts as a health support practitioner, not only offering Acupuncture and Reflexology but giving advice on diet and lifestyle, helping women through any ailment or conditions they may face. From 36/37 weeks is an excellent time to receive weekly treatments of Acupuncture to prepare the body for labour and strengthen for post partum care.
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