Functional Dry Needling
Functional Dry Needling brings lasting relief for a broad range of neuromuscular dysfunction. Dry Needling is often misunderstood and those in need of therapy quickly dismiss it. In an effort to educate the Papillion community, we hosted a physical therapy workshop with a main focus on dry needling. We invited coaching staff from Papio South and had a very good turnout. In the workshop Gina was able to discuss all the aspects of dry needling, why we do it and how it helps athletes get back on the field faster.
Following injuries or other degenerative processes, many patients suffer from muscular tightness and spasm. This often leads to compression and irritation of the nerves exiting the spine. When those nerves are irritated, they cause a protective spasm of all the muscles to which they are connected. This natural response from the body attempting to protect itself frequently results in referral pain.
This referral pain can lead to secondary dysfunction such as tendonitis, osteoarthritis, decreased mobility, chronic pain and a range of other disorders. Dry needling is a highly effective treatment for athletes that identifies the source of the pain and advancing a small filament needle into the related muscles, eliciting a twitch response and then relaxing of the muscle.
We structured our workshop as an open forum discussion over lunch. This gave our area coaches the opportunity to ask whatever questions and concerns they may have. During our workshop Gina demonstrated dry needling on her husband Mark.