Athletes' Potential

  • Home
  • Physical Therapy
    • Atlanta ACL Physical Therapy
    • Atlanta Runners
  • Blog
  • Testimonials
  • About Us
  • CONTACT US
  • Podcast
  • Home
  • Physical Therapy
    • Atlanta ACL Physical Therapy
    • Atlanta Runners
  • Blog
  • Testimonials
  • About Us
  • CONTACT US
  • Podcast

Become the HERO of your own HEALTH

Inquire About Cost and Availability

4 Dry Needling Questions Answered

6/16/2014

1 Comment

 
Picture
Performance Dry Needling for a lower cervical bone bruise. That's what happens when a barbell lands on your neck!
When I bring up the technique of Performance Dry Needling with my clients in the Atlanta area I get a few common reactions. They either cringe, immediately start to sweat or nervously ask what I'm talking about. All of these reactions will depend on your fear level with needles or if you have ever had dry needling techniques performed on you in the past. I’m going to give my most simple summary of the technique and how it works. I also want to make one bold statement. The technique of Performance Dry Needling is hands down the most effective treatment option we have at Athletes’ Potential! Hopefully after reading this article you will have a better understanding of why we like it so much and what you can expect.

Is  Dry Needling The Same As Acupuncture?
Absolutely not! I am not an acupuncturist. I am a physical therapist with advanced training in the technique of dry needling and developed my own variation of the technique called Performance Dry Needling. Acupuncture is a very old and well respected practice that targets meridian lines in the body. The intent of acupuncture is to restore balance in the body by targeting specific points that match up with the meridian lines. This treatment could be for musculoskeletal pain or even internal sickness such as gut irritation. I have had many clients get great results with chronic pain issues when going in for acupuncture treatment. One of the only similarities that dry needling has with acupuncture is the actual needles that are used in the technique.

Dry needling is much more of an anatomical approach, meaning we focus on treating specific muscles, tendons, ligaments or nerves. There are also specific areas in the muscles that tighten up called trigger points. This can happen for a number of reasons but we know that treating these areas with dry needling is very effective. I don’t know much about chi and meridian lines. I do know a lot about the anatomy of the human body and that is what guides the choice for where to perform dry needling.




How Did Performance Dry Needling Come About?
Performance Dry Needling started with my work with the 25th Infantry Division Best Ranger Competition Teams as well as CrossFit 808’s Competition Team. I wanted to see if I could use the dry needling techniques that I had been using successfully with my clients that were injured and transition those techniques to a competitive group. Both of these groups of athletes put in huge volumes of training and push their bodies to the limit. With high volumes of training comes increased risk for injury. Performance Dry Needling was the solution to help with increased recovery and to help these athletes maintain better movement during their competitions. By targeting specific muscles, tendons and ligaments with needles and the Marc Pro Recovery Unit, we were able to dramatically increase recovery.
Recover faster, train harder and win more often!



Does  Dry Needling Hurt?
Simply put yes it's uncomfortable but so does laying on a lacrosse ball for a few minutes! Everyone tolerates this technique differently depending on their fear of needles, pain tolerance and severity of injury. The technique is made as painless as possible but soreness can linger for 1-2 days after the treatment. You can also expect significant changes in mobility, decrease in pain and increase in performance after the treatment. 

Where Does Dry Needling Work The Best?
In my experience dry needling has the greatest effect on the spine. This is the one area I treat the most no matter if your pain is in your actual spine or your knee. Our body often refers pain to our arms and legs from issues starting at the spine. Think of Performance Dry Needling to the spine as a reset to the muscles that are treated. If you have a problem with your computer what tends to fix it, the restart! We can help get muscles functioning better around the spine which has a significant effect on your overall performance.

More Information
If you want to know some of the more advanced physiology of why dry needling works so well please read Sue Falsone’s recent article. She’s a phenomenal physical therapist and recently started teaching her own variation of dry needling call Systemic Dry Needling. Can't wait to go to one of her seminars and learn some new techniques!


Have you had any type of dry needling treatment before? If so share your experience, I'd love to hear your response to the treatment in the comments below.


-Dr. Danny, PT, DPT

1 Comment
perthclinic link
4/27/2016 07:26:59 am

great description

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    PT Knowledge

    Dr. Danny and staff's views on performance improvement, injury prevention, and sometimes other random thoughts.

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    2015 Review
    Active Atlanta Podcast
    Atlanta
    Australia
    Back Pain
    Blood Flow Restriction
    Boston
    Breathing
    Concussion
    CrossFit
    Deadlift
    Double Under
    Dr. Danny
    Dr. Jacob
    Dr. Marcus
    Dr. Ravi
    Dr. Sam
    Front Rack
    Healthcare & Insurance
    Jumping
    Jumping Rope
    Knee Pain
    Mobility
    Muscles
    Neck Pain
    Nutrition
    Overtraining
    Pelvic Floor
    Performance
    Physical Therapy
    PhysioCoach
    Postpartum
    Pregnancy
    Recovery
    Rehab
    Running
    Shoulder
    Sitting
    Sleep
    Soccer
    Speed & Agility
    Squatting
    Standing Desk
    Stress Management
    Stretching
    Swim
    Tennis
    Warming Up
    Work
    Youth Sports

    Archives

    March 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    September 2020
    August 2020
    June 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014


Contact Us:

533 W Howard Ave, C1
Decatur, GA 30030
        
​Phone: 470-355-2106
Fax Number: 404-382-7293


info@athletespotential.com   ​
Athletes' Potential

About Us
Contact Us
Services
​
Corporate Wellness
​
Resources

Active Atlanta Podcast
​Blog
​Testimonials
​FAQ
Patient Portal
Book Now
​© Copyright 2016 Athletes' Potential, LLC.  All rights reserved.      
This website does not provide medical advice and does not direct that you undertake any specific exercise or training/rehabilitation regimen.  Consult with a physician before undertaking any information found on this website. All visitors to this site must consent to Terms of use and Notice of Privacy Practice.