2018
The Future with Dry Needling
I recently obtained my certification for dry needling. Now Gina and I are both providing this safe and effective technique for our clients as part of a comprehensive physical therapy plan of care.
Since my practice began in the late 90s, I’ve seen several events and interventions significantly impact our profession but dry needling ranks near the top. In my opinion, the three most significant impacts on our profession during that time are outlined below:
1. When my practice first began, our profession was largely exercise-based. Since that time, there has been mounting evidence for what we do and how we do it. The mobility and strengthening interventions we use are now based on solid evidence and I believe this has significantly affected our profession in a positive way.
2. Manual therapy as also been one of the most influential and effective interventions I’ve seen in our profession since that time. Joint mobilization for the spine and the peripheral joints is an effective intervention to improve mobility, reduce pain, and improve posture. As our profession has progressed, we are using more and more manual therapy and getting better results for our patients. I think manual therapy allows us to provide better care for our patients in less time.
3. Dry needling is a safe and effective technique to treat trigger points or referred pain, activate inhibited muscles or relax overworked muscles. I believe the addition of this intervention to our patient care will have a profound impact on our outcomes and the ability to help our patients recover. Evidence supports this notion and I have already seen outstanding results here in our clinical practice.
