Dry Needling

In my last entry, I mentioned that I had received acupressure as part of my muscle spasm treatment, but I could have sworn it was really acupuncture. At today’s physical therapy appointment, though, the trainer gave it another name: dry needling. If you’re at all squeamish, particularly where it involves needles, I wouldn’t read much further. In case you don’t read further, let’s say I’m healing well and leave it at that.

The hopefully not-too-sqeamish explanation: in acupuncture, tiny needles are put in just under the skin. In dry needling, a slightly longer needle is put in to poke the spasm in the muscle, which stimulates it enough so that it finally releases. The release feels like someone plucking a guitar string; the “twang” is the muscle giving way after it’s been spasming for a while. Needless to say, it feels pretty peculiar.

The PT said I’m a fast healer, and he couldn’t find many spasms in one of the worse areas last time, on my lower shoulder muscle. So he moved to other areas on my shoulder and, surprisingly, on my chest. Now, my chest had been bothering me last year, but I thought it was just radiated pain from some other area, like my back, which hurt this time. But no, the pec muscle had its own spasming. The PT said there was a small isolated spasm in the pec, so it wouldn’t be that big a deal to clear up.

Well, apparently over the last year the spasm made some friends he didn’t detect, because instead of a minor spasm, it felt like 30 guitar strings were being plucked simultaneously. That felt more than peculiar, it was pretty gosh-darned painful. It surprised both of us, but I’m glad it’s getting cleared up so it won’t be an issue anymore.

Oddly enough, though, an hour later as I type this, my chest barely hurts, but my shoulder feels like if you get a flu shot and your arm aches. I’ve got a steady ache, but it’s not “bad”. I’m also pleased to report that I can turn my head in all angles again, and the most I feel is a pain in my chest; my lower shoulder, which had given me all of the problems Wednesday morning, isn’t noticable anymore.

Instead of 6-8 more sessions as the PT thought I might need, he thinks I might only need 2 more if I keep healing like I am. So must remember to do my stretching exercises, both what he gave me and what my PT friend suggested I do, so hopefully by this time next week I’ll be just about finished therapy.

For more reading on dry needling, I found articles, linked here and here.