ACUPUNCTURE & DRY NEEDLING
ACUPUNCTURE & DRY NEEDLING IN PERTH
Do you suffer from headaches or migraines that are getting you down? Do you suffer from neck pain that makes your days less enjoyable? Do you suffer from chronically tight muscles that never seem to release with massage therapy or stretching? Do you have aches that no one can find the source of?
At Body Genius, we believe that the body is a powerful tool that can overcome many obstacles with a little help.
Our acupuncture, physiotherapy, and dry needling services in Perth are intended to complement the body’s natural healing processes to help you overcome sickness, pain, dysfunction, and other conditions.
Do you really know your level of pain?
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WHAT IS ACUPUNCTURE (DRY NEEDLING?)
Dry needling, also known as acupuncture, is a treatment approach that has evolved from traditional acupuncture. It refers to the insertion of a fine needle into the muscles and connective tissues of the body to deactivate trigger points.
Dry needling physiotherapy helps to release these taut bands and to “release” the trigger points which, in turn, alleviates pain. Dry needling also relieves muscle tension, increases the range of movement around joints, and improves circulation to a given area, resulting in a greater healing response.
Dry needling is very effective as it can target trigger points that are deep within the muscles (1-10cm). These points can be very difficult to reach with deep tissue massage and may require multiple treatments. Likewise, dry needling is very successful at reaching chronic trigger points that ‘won’t let go’ with massage therapy.
This form of physiotherapy is highly specialised & requires years of training & practice.
TRIGGER POINTS
Trigger points are commonly described as ‘trigger sites’ or ‘muscle knots’. These are hyperirritable spots in skeletal muscle that are associated with taut bands of muscle fibres. Activation of trigger points may be caused by a number of factors including
- Acute Overload: Heavy lifting or quick acceleration during sport
- Chronic overload: long hours sitting at computers or training for sport
- Activation by other trigger points: the chest can set off shoulder triggers
- Direct trauma: often occurs in sports – ex: when an opponent’s knee striking your thigh muscle
- Spinal problems: Nerve dysfunction can lead to trigger points in the muscles
- Deficiencies: Vitamin and mineral deficiencies and/or dehydration
- Toxic overload: Toxicity within organs or glands
These taunt bands (trigger points) are a common, yet often overlooked, cause of pain.
Did you know that the pain at the front of your shoulder could be coming from trigger points in the rotator cuff muscles at the back of your shoulder?
Did you know that your buttocks and leg pain could be coming from trigger points in your gluteal muscles?
Did you know that your neck pain and headaches could be coming from trigger points in your upper trapezius muscles?
How can acupuncture improve your health?
WHAT DOES DRY NEEDLING/ACUPUNCTURE TREAT?
Dry needling and acupuncture can improve a variety of issues; everything from treating existing issues like neck and shoulder discomfort to preventing future injuries. Dry needling is a safe, effective way to restore balance to the body and to aid many issues and conditions including:
• Chronic/acute pain & injuries
• Neck pain
• Shoulder pain
• Back pain
• Hamstring pain
• Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI)
• Tennis Elbow, Golfer’s Elbow
• Shoulder pain & mobility issues
• Knee pain
• Hip pain
• Sciatica
• Carpal tunnel
• Tendonitis
• Fibromyalgia
• Weight loss
• Bursitis
• Muscle pain & knots
• Muscle spasms
• Headaches & migraines
• Whiplash
BENEFITS OF DRY NEEDLING TREATMENT
- For most people, dry needling is less painful than – and often just as effective as – deep tissue massage
- Dry needling can reach points deep within muscle tissue that may not be accessible with massage therapy (up to 10 cm deep). For athletes with large muscle bellies, dry needling may be the only form of effective therapy available.
- Dry needling can release a trigger point in seconds. A massage therapist may need to work the same point for 5-10 minutes to get it to ‘let go.’
- Dry needling provides immediate relief. When tight muscles are the source of your discomfort, and when dry needling is performed correctly to release those points, relief should occur immediately and continue for the next 1-2 days.
- Recovering from a deep tissue sports massage can often take 2-5 days. For people who are active and looking to get back to training or sport quickly, this may pose a challenge. The BG therapists ask that clients take 24-36 hours post dry needling therapy before returning to physical activity.
WHY CHOOSE THE BODY GENIUS INSTITUTE?
Book a FREE phone call with a Body Genius acupuncturist
COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Yes! The first step is always to diagnose the pain “generator” for any condition accurately. If it’s established that the discomfort being experienced is a result of tight muscles, then dry needling will help to alleviate symptoms in as little as 1-2 sessions. If the pain ‘generator’ is something other than trigger points, then dry needling can still be an effective therapy when combined with other therapies and will assist in the complete resolution of your pain.
There is no question that dry needling can be uncomfortable. You should not feel pain from the needle itself when needling is performed correctly. However, when the needle causes the trigger point to “let go” there is an immediate ‘twitch response’ that many clients find uncomfortable.
The needles used for dry needling are single use. In other words, a needle will never be used on two different patients. As such, there is no risk of passing disease from one person to the next.
This form of treatment does involve passing a needle through the skin and into the tissues. As such it is important to select a health professional that is highly skilled, knows their anatomy incredibly well, and takes all the necessary precautions to minimise any risks.
When the pain “generator” is accurately diagnosed as coming from trigger points, and when dry needling is performed correctly to alleviate those tight muscles, pain should resolve significantly in 1-2 treatment sessions. If your discomfort does not resolve, the treating therapist will reassess the pain patterns to determine an alternative diagnosis.
A 28-year-old female (Jane) presented to Body Genius with left anterior (front) shoulder pain that she developed three weeks earlier while doing push-ups at a boot camp. Jane had consulted her GP who prescribed Voltaren (anti-inflammatory) and told her to rest. The pain did not improve so Jane consulted a sports doctor who felt that she had caused damage to her rotator cuff and advised a cortisone injection. Jane presented to Body Genius for a third opinion.
The BG Physiotherapist assessed Jane’s movement patterns, posture, and overall biomechanics. Although the Physiotherapist felt that the push-ups may have injured the rotator cuff at boot camp, he felt that the primary pain “generator” was a tight upper trapezius muscle (neck), rotator cuff, pectorals (chest) and deltoid (shoulder) muscles.
The Physiotherapist dry needled all of these muscles in session one, asked Jane to use a hot pack on the area and gently stretch. Three days later Jane returned for a follow-up consult and was 95% better. The constant ache had resolved, and she only had discomfort doing up her bra. The Physiotherapist gave her exercises to correct her faulty movement patterns and performed a second session of dry needling. As a precaution (in case there was underlying rotator cuff inflammation) he asked her to take another 72 hours off training before returning to boot camp. Two days later in a phone conversation, Jane stated that she was pain-free.
Have questions about dry needling services? Contact the Body Genius team today
WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY
“I truly believe that the dry needling I have received from Steve Hooper is second to none. He has been able to facilitate the recovery of long-term injuries that many others had failed to fix. He was also able to uncover the source of my back pain after over two years of struggle and put together a multi-facet approach that has lead to my back feeling pain-free and very strong.”*
-Daniel Macri
“Steve was able to find imbalances and provide treatments such as a dry needling that other therapists couldn’t. And due to his efforts, I have now been able to return to my sporting career.”*
-Nathan Jones
“With some dry needling and some take away exercises, he got me back on track really fast. His treatment sessions are always in the best interest of the athlete, and he’s available at even the most inconvenient times to offer advice and support. I am so grateful to have access to Steve’s knowledge and skills.”*
-Lisa Delaurentis
*Results may vary. Weight loss or performance results will also vary from person to person. No individual result should be seen as typical.
LOCATION
The Body Genius Institute is conveniently located in Perth, WA. We are just a few minutes’ drive from the CBD and are easily accessible via public transportation.
ACUPUNCTURE CASE STUDY: JOSE DESFOSSES
The Body Genius physiotherapist undertook a thorough assessment, and it was determined that multiple factors were contributing to Jose’s knee pain: Thoracic 7 (T7) and trigger points in muscles surrounding the hip and knee. A combination of therapies, including dry needling, were used to alleviate Jose’s symptoms.
Jose boarded the plane east and competed to come home with a silver medal, losing gold by just a nose.
Another injury before the 2013 State Masters saw Jose’s undertake another successful rehabilitation program. Once again the result was impressive, 3 gold, 2 silver and 3 bronze.