As a Certified Dry Needling Physical Therapist, this is a question I get a lot. What is a trigger point indeed? Trigger points are taut bands within muscles that can disrupt function, restrict range of motion, refer pain, or cause local tenderness. They can be active or latent. An active trigger point is painful all the time or with certain movements, whereas a latent trigger point is only painful when palpated.
When you have a trigger point within a muscle, whether it be active or latent, that muscle won't fire or contract when you need it to. Trigger points have poor blood flow, decreased oxygen, and an acidic pH, which can cause a vice or sleeve of pressure within that muscle. I often use the analogy of a knot in a rope to my patients while explaining trigger points. When there is a knot in a rope, that rope can't fully lengthen (stretch) or shorten (contract) because of the knot. Therefore the rope is not able to be used to it's full potential, just like your muscles.
How can Dry Needling help your Trigger Points?
Dry needling is an exceptionally effective nonsurgical trigger-point therapy that utilizes micro-thin monofilament needles to reduce or eliminate pain. These are just like accupuncture needles, but we use them differently. Unlike injection-based needling, dry needling does not involve any solution or medication. Instead, the thin needle acts as an extension of manual physical therapy treatments. The needle is inserted into the muscle to release trigger points that cause pain.
More of the Science of Dry Needling (if you are interested).
Trigger point dry needling works by causing a twitch response in the muscle. The twitch is a "reset" that allows the CNS (central nervous system) to communicate with the muscle. The twitch is a spinal cord reflex that cues your brain to send blood to the area by vasodilation of the small vessels. It also releases the noxious chemicals there were inside the trigger point, which is why your muscles are initially sore. I would argue that the more sore, the more therapeutic the treatment is.
I could talk about trigger points all day, but I won't.
Here's the bottom line: it's all about blood flow. Trigger points prevent blood and oxygen from permeating the muscle tissue, therefore making it impossible to recruit that muscle in daily activities. Dry needling releases the pressure within that muscle fiber so that you can have oxygen rich blood flow into and out of the tissue, which alleviates pain and improves mobility. The science is real and the positive effects on your life are even more real. Schedule an appointment with a certified dry needling trigger point therapist.
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