What about dry needling?

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Grnhouse
Grnhouse Posts: 254 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
My PT is recommending I try dry needling for my lower back pain. Wondering if others have tried it and had success or any relief from the pain?
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Replies

  • RuNaRoUnDaFiEld
    RuNaRoUnDaFiEld Posts: 5,864 Member
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    Hatha yoga is the only thing that helped my back.

    I do 15 minutes each morning with a warmed towel around me.
  • cs2thecox
    cs2thecox Posts: 533 Member
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    Love dry needling for when the release I need for my muscles is too much/painful to get from massage!
    Always by a physio or a massage therapist with a proper qualification though.

    First time I had it was YEARS ago on one of my quads after I displaced my kneecap and had to have the muscles relaxed enough to get it back in place. Now I mostly have it on my upper traps.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,876 Member
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    suzannesimmons3 wrote: »
    It all depends on what is causing your bad back
    Acupuncture may help a muscular cause but will probably do little for spinal causes...and I'd see a properly trained physio/acupuncturist.

    Dry needling isn't the same thing as acupuncture. Dry needling is when a doctor takes a needle and inserts it directly into a trigger point knot which causes the trigger point to release...sometimes a saline solution is also used.

    Dry needling works very well for trigger point knots...I get trigger points a lot in my upper back because I have a herniated disk which causes spasms at times and those spasms turn into trigger points...they can be very stubborn and hard to get rid of just using direct pressure...when that doesn't work I go in for a dry needling treatment.

    You can tell when the Dr. gets one really good...the knot will grab onto the needle and pull it in more and then when it releases you get this little electric shock...

    It works, but it can also be a bit painful...but so worth it if you have trigger point issues. I just go to my GP who is also a sports medicine guy.
  • canadianlbs
    canadianlbs Posts: 5,199 Member
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    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    You can tell when the Dr. gets one really good...the knot will grab onto the needle and pull it in more and then when it releases you get this little electric shock...

    this sounds both terrifying and fascinating. i'm about to see a sports doc for the first time ever, next week . . . going to keep tabs on this thread in the meantime.
  • Grnhouse
    Grnhouse Posts: 254 Member
    edited December 2017
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    Thanks @RuNaRoUnDaFiEld. Looked into it. Not ready yet for this type of yoga but will try beginner yoga, the basics.
  • Grnhouse
    Grnhouse Posts: 254 Member
    edited December 2017
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    It's a pinched nerve at the base of the nerve root @suzannesimmons3. I'm currently doing PT for it. I think it is more spinal than muscle.@cwolfman13. I'm not sure I want more pain.
  • Grnhouse
    Grnhouse Posts: 254 Member
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    Grnhouse wrote: »
    Thanks @RuNaRoUnDaFiEld. I will look into that.

  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,876 Member
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    canadianlbs wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    You can tell when the Dr. gets one really good...the knot will grab onto the needle and pull it in more and then when it releases you get this little electric shock...

    this sounds both terrifying and fascinating. i'm about to see a sports doc for the first time ever, next week . . . going to keep tabs on this thread in the meantime.

    @canadianlbs it also works well for IT band syndrome...though the treatment is much more unpleasant than just dealing with trigger points.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,876 Member
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    Grnhouse wrote: »
    It's a pinched nerve at the base of the nerve root @suzannesimmons3. I'm currently doing PT for it. I think it is more spinal than muscle.@cwolfman13. I'm not sure I want more pain.

    I have a herniated disk/pinched nerve as well...while that is the spinal aspect of it, the actual pain I experience is when it causes spasms and trigger points. I can usually alleviate the issue with a couple of days of direct pressure every hour or so, but sometimes that doesn't work and I turn to dry needling.

    It works very well for the trigger points and the pain is only for an instant and then all of the pain is gone...they're worth it IMO...you just need to see a doctor who knows how to do it properly...usually sports medicine folks as they use this a lot on athletes.
    thecharon wrote: »
    Careful with people that are trying to make MONEY out of you.

    Dry Needling is done by a doctor...if you have insurance you aren't going to pay anything except your co-pay. Some chiropractors and acupuncture therapists will also do it, but I'd personally stick with a sports medicine doctor.
  • Grimmerick
    Grimmerick Posts: 3,344 Member
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    I work at a spine clinic, Our therapy center does dry needling and a lot of it, a lot of patients including my husband have had it, with good results. It's something you can definitely try and if it doesn't work for you at least you know and if it does then that's all the better. Finding what works for your back problems is really trial and error what works for you might not work for someone else but it's definitely worth it to try different things to see what works for you. Be patient and don't get discouraged if you try something and it doesn't work, there are many other things to try and it's really about finding which path or multiple paths will help take care of your pain.
  • Grimmerick
    Grimmerick Posts: 3,344 Member
    edited December 2017
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    thecharon wrote: »
    Careful with people that are trying to make MONEY out of you.

    Dry needling is becoming a popular addition to physical therapy, not sure why you think it is some kind of a scam. You have to be well trained and a physical therapist to do it.
  • ktekc
    ktekc Posts: 879 Member
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    My husband has had it done in OT for an injury on his arm that has made his muscles all the way to the back of his neck lock up. They couldn't get the needles to even go in the muscle on the back of his neck it was so tight. But it has worked well for the knots further down his arm.
  • aeloine
    aeloine Posts: 2,163 Member
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    LOVE it. Make sure you get a good chiro to do it, and let it "cook" for a little bit. Make sure to eat before and after, and to hydrate.
  • H_Ock12
    H_Ock12 Posts: 1,152 Member
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    Had it on my back muscles a few years ago after struggling with the knots since playing rugby in college. My physical therapist did an amazing job and alleviated five years if pain in three sessions.
  • canadianlbs
    canadianlbs Posts: 5,199 Member
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    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    @canadianlbs it also works well for IT band syndrome...though the treatment is much more unpleasant than just dealing with trigger points.

    yeeks . . . i don't have much reason to think he'll start right in with needles the first time we meet, and it might not even be the right thing for me. i'm suspecting a bone pointer or labral tear, from the way that things feel.

    but i have just enough reservations about the guy i was referred to, to be interested in anything you can say about separating the quacks/cowboys from the better people in case needling does come up too.

    anything your guy did in the early stages that convinced you he was performing due diligence and knew what he was doing? or example, i'd be very interested to hear what protocols he followed to find the trigger point and identify the needle target in the first place. do they show up on some kind of imaging?
  • lporter229
    lporter229 Posts: 4,907 Member
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    I had it done on my hamstrings last spring for tendinitis. It was done by a licensed physical therapist and was fully covered by my insurance. It helped a lot. In fact, it is what enabled me to run the Boston Marathon while "injured". However, I did find that the relief was temporary, lasting only 2-3 days. It wasn't until after the marathon when I was able to take an extended break from running that my hamstrings were truly able to heal.
  • Orphia
    Orphia Posts: 7,097 Member
    edited December 2017
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    It did bugger all for me when I had a bad back.

    It's magic for those who like their witchdoctors in a white coat.

    "It worked for me" is not scientific evidence. It's just admitting you were fooled by the Placebo Effect.

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