There are few things so small which inspire so much fear as needles. It’s not surprising then that talk of acupuncture or dry needling render some grown men weak at the knees. But you need not fear, Sarah Walker is here to help with the low down on dry needling – and it’s not as scary as the name makes it sound.
“Dry needling” is a term used widely among medical professionals and sports people and anyone who has suffered some form of a muscle injury. Most of us are terrified of needles and would rather not go there… but the effects of dry needling are instant and well worth the sweat! We are never at a mountain biking event without a pack of needles of various lengths to ease the pain and tightness of a long day on the saddle.
Confusion: Dry needling is often confused with acupuncture. The needles are the same but the points used are different with different effects, I will discuss acupuncture in a later issue.
History of the needle: Karel Lewit in 1979 was injecting various solutions into trigger points to relieve pain. He realised what he was injecting was not connected to the pain relief, rather the mechanical process of injecting into a trigger point that relieved the pain. Hence the term “dry” needling is used.
The needle: Traditionally hypodermic needles were used for dry needling. Research has shown however that there is no difference in outcome using hypodermic needles versus a solid filament needle (acupuncture needle). The acupuncture needles are more comfortable to the patient (thinner), and offer more tactile feedback to the therapist.
Trigger points: These are sensitive tight spots found in a taut band in a muscle. They are caused by various physical or emotional stresses and lead to pain, tingling, burning or weakness locally, and or in areas distant to the muscle (referred pain).
Procedure of needling: The trigger point causing the pain is palpated and the needle is inserted through the centre of the trigger point.
Effect of the needle: The trigger point when needled correctly will trigger a reflex twitch which may feel uncomfortable to the patient but it means the trigger point has been released. The twitch is an involuntary spinal cord reflex. It is thought that the twitch response also elicits a release of opioids, a natural pain relieving chemical.
Homework: Once the trigger points are released it is effective to stretch the muscle a few times in the day to keep the muscle from knotting up again, also to take preventative measures to ensure the trigger points don’t return (more tense than before). For mountain bikers your set-up and posture on the bike are the likely culprits which will need changing to avoid future issues.
Advice: Dry needling is the Bomb!
