Trigger Point Dry Needling | ALTA Physical Therapy & Pilates
If you’re dealing with painful, knotted muscles, ALTA’s team is here to help. Our Boulder, CO clinic specializes in trigger point dry needling (TDN), a clinically-proven technique that relieves deep tension in your muscles.
What Is Trigger Point Dry Needling?
TDN is an extremely effective technique that uses a very fine acupuncture needle to “deactivate” or “shut down” painful or knotted areas in your muscles.
Many of us have areas in our body that feel tense all the time or feel like a hard ball in the muscle. By inserting fine needles into those tight areas, we elicit a “twitch response” — a brief contraction followed by an immediate and long-lasting relaxation. Because the needle can reach deep parts of the muscle, TDN can give you the amazing pain relief that you never thought was possible.
At ALTA, we use TDN every day to :
- Give you long-term pain relief from head to toe.
- Eliminate tension, wherever you hold it.
- Heal overuse injuries.
- Get rid of knots in muscles.
- Release tight muscles.
- Speed up your recovery.
- Improve blood flow at a deep level.
- Stimulate your muscles to work better.
- Heal chronic injuries to muscles, tendons, and joints.
- Prevent injuries in the first place!
If you’re ready to experience the benefits of TDN and take on your next Boulder adventure pain-free, schedule an appointment with ALTA today.
FAQs
Will TDN Help Me?
In many cases, TDN is a more effective and longer-lasting alternative to massage therapy. Though a massage can give you short-term relief, TDN allows us to treat nearly any muscle in the body and get rid of deep knots and muscle tightness. TDN works best for people with overuse injuries, sports injuries, or chronic pain. However, it’s not a great option for people who have brand-new injuries or excessively loose joints. If you’re not sure whether TDN will work for you, our specialists will be happy to help you out with a thorough evaluation.
Does the Needle Hurt?
Because acupuncture needles are very fine and solid, they don’t hurt as they pass through the skin like a hollow injection needle does. However, they can cause some initial discomfort and pressure, as well as soreness after the procedure. Soon after TDN, though, your muscles will return to their normal relaxed state — and you’ll get to enjoy the long-term benefits of dry needling.
How Many Needles Will I Need?
During your first session, we’ll start slowly, focusing on a few key muscles. As you begin to experience relief and adjust to the way TDN feels, we’ll start to target specific muscles, fine-tuning the effects of TDN. Usually, sessions are spaced 5-7 days apart. You should expect to feel improvement after only 1-2 sessions!
How Will I Feel After TDN?
The soreness that you’ll feel after TDN is actually a good sign — it means your muscles are breaking down and strengthening. In most cases, the soreness only lasts for between a few hours and a couple of days. After a day or two, you’ll begin to feel less pain and tightness. Within weeks, the chronic injuries that you thought would last forever will begin to fade away!
Get Lasting Relief
If you want to find long-term relief from your injuries and step into your next Colorado adventure with a confident stride, schedule an appointment with ALTA today.
