Chiropractic care offers several modalities that alleviate pain and restore mobility. Better yet, it offers patients more than one of them at a time. When two modalities complement each other, they can provide greater relief together than either one could have alone.
Take dry needling, for example. During a medical study recently conducted in Spain, doctors found evidence that dry needling, when combined with other interventions, has an even more “positive effect in terms of improving pain intensity, pain-related disability, pressure pain thresholds, and cervical range of motion in people with neck pain associated with trigger points.”
The doctors who conducted that study did not specify which interventions were performed alongside dry needling. But the doctors at Fargo Spine are quite certain we offer the perfect accompaniment to dry needling. That is SoftWave Therapy, which treats inflammation, chronic pain, and a wide range of issues that commonly affect joints in the limbs, feet, hips and spine.
Are you interested in experiencing the synergy of dry needling and SoftWave? Let’s explain how both modalities work so you can decide if the combo might be right for you!
What Is Dry Needling?
Most importantly, dry needling isn’t acupuncture. Instead of revolving around a supposed universal energy force, dry needling focuses on tangible, physical targets. These are called trigger points, which are tight little knots located within taut bands of muscle tissue.
When a trigger point is released, the patient can experience relief from discomfort, pain and stiffness. Fortunately, releasing a trigger point is as simple as locating it and puncturing it with a narrow (0.007-0.009″ diameter) needle.
Note that it’s called a “dry” needle. That’s because the needle does not contain any drug. It cannot inject, and its stainless steel surface is not coated with any substances. Like all chiropractic modalities, dry needling is a completely non-pharmacological therapy.
What Is SoftWave?
If you thought that dry needling sounds like a low-tech modality, you are correct. That doesn’t mean it is ineffective, although it could theoretically have been practiced during the 1800s.
SoftWave, on the other hand, could only have been invented with modern technology. The machine’s applicator contains piezo crystals arranged in a mosaic pattern. When piezo crystals are electrically charged, they produce extremely low-pressure shockwaves.
The tiny pulses emitted by the SoftWave machine are directed deep down into the patient’s soft tissues. There they help to reduce inflammation and improve circulation. SoftWave also safely disintegrates the calcium buildup that causes calcific tendonitis, and stimulates the production of stem cells, collagen, cortisone and platelet-rich plasma – all of which play important roles in the body’s natural recovery from injury.
Why Do Dry Needling and SoftWave Work Well Together?
Evidence suggests that SoftWave is more effective for treating certain chronic pain disorders than modalities which only target trigger points. Even so, SoftWave is not typically administered to release trigger points.
But many chiropractic patients do have trigger points. For example, about half of people who seek relief from myofascial pain syndrome have active myofascial trigger points. Moreover, many people with neck pain and lower back pain have trigger points they are unaware of.
Since SoftWave and dry needling affect soft tissues in very different ways, they provide two distinctive yet complementary therapies for pain and inflexibility. Better yet, there are no known contraindications between dry needling and SoftWave. Indeed, all available evidence shows no reason to suspect the two should not be administered at the same time (the same can’t be said of all chronic pain relief new treatments).
If you live in the greater Fargo, ND area and are suffering from pain or having difficulty moving correctly, then we welcome you to schedule an appointment at Fargo Spine today. In addition to chiropractic care, we offer dry needling and SoftWave Therapy – together!
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