Unexpected Dry Needling Benefits

3 Surprising Ways Dry Needling Will Change Your Life

3 Surprising Ways Dry Needling Will Change Your Life, Dry Needling Effects, Instant Pain Relief with Dry Needling

There are lots of debates about what dry needling actually does.  I know that it works, how it works we aren’t quite sure of, yet. 

Here are three unconventional ways that I see dry needling helping people daily. 

1. Connection.

 It gives you an experience of how everything in your body is connected. Let’s say you’re having a pain in your butt (or low back pain) and then sometimes on the bottom of your foot.  During treatment of your glute muscles, you may experience an intensified feeling of pain that starts in your butt and goes all the way down your leg to your foot. That means we are in the perfect place! If you’re having some numbness in your fingers, sometimes the muscle that needs some TLC is your lats (by your shoulder blade and armpit). During dry needling treatment for the lats, you may have sensations all the way down your arm to your fingertips. That tells us that where the pain is, may not be where the problem is.  Every single thing is connected. 

2. Biofeedback.

After dry needling, the muscle that was treated may feel sore, or like it had a really good workout. That is excellent biofeedback (a way to get information from your body).  Throughout the days that follow dry needling, pay attention to movements that make you feel sore in that muscle again. Let’s pretend you had the muscle between your shoulder and neck treated (upper trapezius).  If reaching into the cupboard makes that muscle sore, look at how you’re moving in that task and see if it could be improved.  Is your shoulder creeping up into your ear making the muscle on the top of your shoulder sore?  Try keeping your shoulder away from your ear and you shouldn’t have as much discomfort. 

3. Release.

 It gives you emotional releases.  Have you heard of the book The Body Keeps The Score? Read it. Throughout our lives traumas, big or small, can house themselves in our bodies.  So many of us hold all our stress in our neck and shoulders, constantly rubbing them to get some relief.  During needling to those muscles (like your upper trapezius) you may have a sudden flood of emotions and be brought back to a painful time in your life. That is a beautifully healing experience. We must recognize the emotions we hold in our muscles.

The side effect from dry needling is that you may be a little sore, but that can give you loads of information about your body and how you’re moving in order to optimize it.  It can help you heal in all the ways.

Questions or curious how dry needling can help you end pain right now? Give us a call at 515-255-3932 to set-up your appointment today!

Breathe. is a three-clinic holistic physical therapy practice in Des Moines, West Des Moines and Iowa City / Cedar Rapids area specializing in dry needling, dra, pants peeing, women’s health, pregnancy/postpartum pain and recovery and pelvic floor dysfunction. Learn more at www.breatheptw.com

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