Tension and migraine headaches are two of the most commonly experienced headache types. They can happen for a number of reasons; but being able to make sure they don’t disrupt your day is what many patients are seeking. You’re not alone! Now with the alternative take to treating pain, your chiropractor is able to help you find pain relief with Dry Needling. In this post, we want to discuss a technique called “dry needling”; as this is something, many chiros use to help patients suffering from back pain.
Did you know that more women suffer from headaches than men do?
What is Dry Needling And How Does It Work?
Suffering from any form of pain can be debilitating, making it hard for you complete daily tasks. A qualified chiro can help you cope with and ease some of the pain you feel and as a result be able to reduce the need to use OTC muscle relaxers. Excessive use of pain medication can also lead to other health problems in the long-run.
What is dry needling and how does a chiropractor use this technique?
Is a technique, which uses the same type of needles as acupuncture; however, the technique is different. Dry needling doesn’t use pressure points as is with acupuncture, instead, the needles are inserted into the muscles to help release “knots” causing tension and pain. These knots are actually the “myofascial trigger points”. Acupuncture focuses on the body’s energy. It triggers the meridian pressure points, which helps restore balance and healing.
The importance of dry needling on myofascical points
When the mysofascial points are tense, it restricts movement and the muscle is unable to get fresh oxygen. This tension and restriction inside the muscles and nerves is what causes the pain and “knots” you feel. Helps those points to loosen up and thus enable the muscle to receive oxygen and restore normal function.
What causes stiff muscles?
- Bad posture
- Stress
- Pinched nerve
- Nutrition deficiency
- Injury
- Prolonged posture in one position
What are Migraine Headaches?
These are often recurring headaches known for being painful and are usually triggered by factors such as the following:
- Sinusitis
- Allergies
- Medication
- Emotional changes
- Hormonal changes
- Stress
Tension Headaches
Tension headaches often happen as a result of immense stress. The pain will often radiate from the head to the neck and shoulders causing tension behind the head and in the shoulders. Some other factors that can also trigger tension headaches include but are not limited to:
- Muscle tension
- Eyestrain
- Smoking
- Drinking alcohol
- Fatigue
- Flu and cold
Dry needling treatment from your trusted chiropractor
When it comes to headaches, be it tension of migraine, it is vitally important to find the cause of the headache before administering any treatment as some headaches might be dangerous. Always speak to a trained medical professional if you experience a new headache or if your not responding to medication.
A common cause of these types of headaches originates from the neck muscles and joints, and that is where chiropractic treatment can definitely help.
A common procedure that chiros use in combination with adjustments in called dry needling. Procedure similar to acupuncture, is minimally invasive. Some people are quite scared of needles and might be a bit hesitant to this form of treatment.
Luckily the needles involved are extremely thin and not hollow, and gets to work almost immediately. It is the same needles used by acupuncturists and explains why some people refer to dry needling as acupuncture.
Trigger Points
Every muscle in your body form trigger points (also commonly known as knots) is specific places. Dry needling is a very direct approach to eliminate these trigger points that might be responsible for your headache. By inserting the needle in the specific muscle that might be either the cause of your headache or as a result of your headache, chiropractic has had great success when it comes to treating headaches.
The main muscles involved with headaches are located in the neck. The combination of dry needling and chiropractic adjustments are great for relief of headaches that might not be responding to pain tablets anymore.
Do you know of someone that suffers from tension and or migraine headaches? Have you considered dry needling from your chiro?
Final words from your Chiropractor
Your chiro may use dry needling as part of your physiotherapy program. The program could involve various chiropractic treatments.
You may not be able to do strenuous exercises after dry needling and your chiro will advise you with the best options. However, the point of dry needling is to help the muscles recover and that includes not exercising during recovery.
Every patient and body is different and some patients may suffer side effects such as bruising, spot bleeding and nausea.
Feel free to make an online booking to discuss this further with your Chiro
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