Needing the Needle

1. Introduction

We live in stressful times—fast paced, fast changing times that give us the sensation of running

upwards on an escalator going down at ever increasing speeds. The most common fallout of

our insanely stressed lives and stretched schedules is crippling pains in various parts of the body

—a phenomenon that is being observed across all age groups and in people from all walks of

life.

Conventional medicine has just one answer—drugs: be it pain killers, or in extreme cases,

steroids, which generally have serious, irreversible side effects in the form of damage in varying

degrees to the digestive system, kidneys or liver. Parallel medicine, on the other hand, has

varied solutions such as Physiotherapy, Reflexology, Sujok, Reiki, Pranic Healing, Acupuncture,

etc., to suit various mindsets, temperaments and lifestyles. All of these therapies provide

effective and lasting pain relief sans harmful side effects, and in fact, enhance the quality of life

and overall well being.

In this field of parallel therapies for pain, one technique whose success rate and popularity is

growing by leaps and bounds is DRY NEEDLING. Somewhat similar to Accupuncture, but more

updated and refined in alignment with contemporary requirements, Dry Needling, in tandem

with Physiotherapy, is proving to be a godsend for patients suffering from chronic, crippling

pains for years. Some top dry needling specialists claim that

“ONE SESSION OF DRY NEEDLING ACUPUNCTURE = 5 SESSIONS OF PHYSIOTHERAPY OR

CHIROPRACTIC MASSAGE”

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2. What is dry needling?

Dry Needling involves insertion of very thin needles into ‘myofascial trigger points’ to

deactivate and help resolve trigger points, and thus, pain. This technique has been proven to

bring relief, not only for pain, but also in patients of fibromyalgia. Also known as intramuscular

stimulation, this technique stimulates the healing process of soft tissues. It is virtually painless

(except for a mild tingling sensation or a ‘twinge response’ in some cases) as the needles used

are very thin and side effects are almost non-existent.

3. What Is a Trigger Point and how does it work? The Trigger Point is a hyperirritable point in a muscle, which is located in a tight band and is

extremely painful when touched. It is the focus area of the impacted muscle tissue and the

place from which the pain radiates to other ‘referred points’. Targeting the trigger points

releases the congestion and relaxes the entire muscular tissue by stimulating the spinal reflex

arc. This relieves the pain which may have been there for a long time, even for years, without

injecting any medication. Janet Travell (1901-1997), an American Physician, introduced the

term Myofascial Trigger point, (http://www.pain-education.com/dr-travell.html).

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Many patients suffering from myofascial trigger points find most treatments and drugs

ineffective in the long term because this condition, though treatable and even diagnosed, is

recurrent and, consequently, often ignored by healthcare professionals.

http://www.integrativedryneedling.com/resources/history-integrative-dry-needling/

4. Safety and Indications Studies show that Dry Needling as a solution to pain is much safer than drugs and has much

fewer side effects such as mild muscle soreness or bruising. DN is indicated in numerous

diagnoses, such as radiculopathies joint dysfunction, disk pathology, tendonitis,

craniomandibular dysfunction, migraines, tension-type headaches, carpal tunnel syndrome,

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computer-related disorders, whiplash associated disorders, spinal dysfunction, pelvic pain and

other urologic syndromes, post-herpetic neuralgia, complex regional pain syndrome, nocturnal

cramps, phantom pain, and other relatively uncommon diagnoses such as Barré Liéou

syndrome, or neurogenic pruritus, among others. Studies are also available and can be read at

http://www.jabfm.org/content/23/5/640.full.

5. Dry Needling at PHYWorld

At PhyWorld, Dr. Vandana, who is a specialist in dry needling, carries out a thorough evaluation

and consultation for the patients in need of this specialized technique. Patients are treated

after taking prior consent and the technique is carried out by Dr. Vandana herself at both

centers.

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PHYWORLD

Dr. Vandana’s Physical Therapy & Fitness Clinics

Address

4, North Avenue, Punjabi Bagh (West), New Delhi – 110026

C-3, Defence Colony, New Delhi- 110024

Mobile No:

+ (91) - 9910088152, 011- 25225527

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