If you’ve suffered a muscle strain and your physical therapist recommends that you try dry needling, you may be a bit wary. The idea of having needles stuck in you isn’t appealing to many people, and fear of needles can deter people from getting the vaccinations and the like that they need in order to be healthy. Since dry needling involves multiple needles, it’s only natural to wonder whether or not it hurts.

The truth is: it depends. It can, and it can’t. It’s important to note that dry needling as a technique is used in order to help you heal and to improve your symptoms, not to make them worse. It is used in order to relieve pain in the long term. It can be incredibly effective for a variety of conditions. 

Rest assured: if your physical therapist is recommending that you give dry needling a go, it’s because they think it will help you. They wouldn’t be out here recommending treatments that hurt you – they’re not sadists! 

Here’s what you need to know about dry needling and pain so that you can set your mind at ease about this treatment method.

Does Dry Needling Hurt?

As previously mentioned, it depends! 

This treatment typically isn’t anywhere near as bad as you might think, especially if you have a fear of needles. Many people don’t even feel the needle prick their skin, because of the little guide tubes that physical therapists use. 

When the injured area has needles inserted, usually one of two things will happen. Either you won’t feel anything, or you may feel a deep muscular ache followed by your muscle twitching. Believe it or not, that ache and twitch response is actually a good thing. This is because it means that the needle has been inserted in the right spot, called a trigger point, and is working to release your muscle.  

Different people respond differently to this treatment method. It’s important to bear in mind that your experience could be vastly different than someone else’s.

Does Dry Needling Help With Pain?

Yes! This treatment method involves sticking dry needles into your trigger points in order to release tight muscles. Many people report an immediate reduction in their pain levels. For others, they may experience aching and soreness in the days following the treatment before they begin to notice improvement. 

The level of aching and soreness you experience is similar to after a workout. This treatment is used in order to help with injury rehabilitation, chronic and acute pain, and more. It works to restore your muscular function and alleviate your pain.

How Long Does Dry Needling Last?

This depends on your specific condition. Your physical therapist will work with you to develop a personalized treatment plan. Usually, you can notice improvements within 2-4 sessions, but this varies depending on the individual.

As for how long the needles themselves are in you – again, this varies. There are several different techniques that your physical therapist may use. They’ll use the one best suited to your symptoms.

In some cases, the needle is in-and-out, it isn’t left in your skin. In others, it may be left in for a little longer. In more severe cases, they may be left inserted for 10-15 minutes or so. 

What Does Dry Needling Feel Like?

If you’re worried that this treatment will hurt you, naturally you want to know what it will feel like! You’ve likely seen this answer coming, but… It varies depending on the individual. 

This is because everyone has different symptoms and concerns. You typically won’t experience any pain with a healthy muscle, but the more unhealthy the muscle, the more likely it is that you will experience some discomfort during the treatment. The discomfort should go away quickly, giving way to some symptom relief.

Most people don’t even feel the needle penetrate their skin. They may feel an ache and twitching in their muscle, which means that the treatment is working. It can feel a bit like a cramp. 

After the treatment, you might feel sore, the same as you would after a workout. It could take a few hours or until the next day for the soreness to appear. It should dissipate within a couple of days. You may also experience some tiredness, nausea, loopiness, giggling, or be emotional. Again, these should go away within an hour or so. 

In some cases, your symptoms may get worse before they get better. Although rare, if your symptoms don’t get better within a day or do, you will want to tell your physical therapist about it.

Wasatch Peak Physical Therapy provides dry needling, as well as other physical therapy treatments. Contact us to learn more about how we can help you on the path to recovery. 

Ballerinas have the skill to make twirling across the stage look effortless, but that’s a testament to their athletic ability and grace. Ballet is an incredibly demanding sport. It necessitates strength, flexibility, balance, grace, and artistic expression. Physical therapy can help ballet dancers prevent and recover from injuries so that they can continue to dance. Regardless of whether you’re in the midst of performance season or you’re taking a summer intensive, repetitive movements for hours on end can lead to injury.

Physical therapy for ballerinas helps you to stay en pointe for longer. Here is what you need to know about some of the challenges that ballet dancers face with physical therapy, common ballet injuries that a physical therapist can help with, and signs that it’s probably time for you to look for a physical therapist. 

The Challenges Ballerinas Face With Physical Therapy

To an outsider looking in, it may seem like a no-brainer for a ballet dancer to go to a physical therapist if they’re hurt. You’re in a very active dance form that pushes the body to its limits – why wouldn’t you want to have injuries taken care of as soon as possible?

Unfortunately, it’s not as easy as that. There are quite a few challenges ballet dancers face when it comes to dealing with injuries, even with the help of a physical therapist. 

Social Stigma And Shame

Given the demanding nature of ballet, there’s unfortunately quite a bit of stigma and shame surrounding injuries. This can lead to a dancer trying to conceal their injury and continuing to dance, even though they’re in pain. 

Mental Distress And Fear For Their Career

Additionally, physical therapy tends to be a more extensive process, lasting for weeks and even months on end. While it may help a dancer recover, being told how long it will take to recover from being hurt can take quite a toll on a dancer’s mental health – especially if they are told that they should take a certain amount of time off of dancing. 

This can be quite a difficult situation, especially if in the midst of rehearsals or performances. Ballet dancers often fear that taking the time needed in order to heal properly will negatively impact their ability to achieve their goals. 

Finding Physical Therapists Who Understand Dance

Dancers also struggle to find physical therapists who understand the demands of ballet. Many a dancer has left a physical therapist’s office with an all clear because they can go about standard daily activities without pain, but then when they try to dance, they find the issue hasn’t been properly resolved. 

These can lead to dancers not obtaining the help that they need and ignoring their pain until it’s gotten to the point where they can no longer dance. It’s crucial to get the help of a physical therapist when you need it in order to continue dancing. Not only can a physical therapist help you recover from an injury, but they can also help you prevent future injuries by teaching you exercises and the like that you can do in order to keep your body in good condition. 

Common Ballet Injuries A Physical Therapist Can Help With

Ballet dancers are more likely to suffer injuries on their lower extremities, from their hips down their legs, and especially with their feet and their ankles. They can also suffer injuries on the upper half of their body, of course, but injuries on the lower half of their body are far more common.

This is especially true because while instructors should wait until a dancer reaches skeletal maturity before recommending that they go en pointe, many dancers start en pointe when they’re very young. This can lead to an increased risk of foot and ankle injuries. Getting your first pair of pointe shoes is one of the most exciting things to happen to a ballet dancer, but instructors must be careful to ensure that the dancer is ready before allowing them to go en pointe. 

Some of the most common ballet injuries that physical therapists treat include:

• Ankle sprains
• Trigger toe
• Tendonitis
• Stress fractures
• Hip impingement
• Snapping hip syndrome
• Labral tears
• Arthritis
• And much, much more

Generally, ballet injuries tend to result from overuse. Dancers, especially those on a pre-professional track or who are professionals, dance for hours on end up to 6 days a week. Poor nutrition is unfortunately very common in ballet, as dancers strive for the “ideal” ballet body, which can increase risk of injury. 

Not only can a physical therapist help you with a ballet injury, they can also educate you on what you can do in order to prevent future injuries. 

Signs You Should Look For A Physical Therapist

Ballet can be painful, which dancers are well aware of, especially when it comes to dancing en pointe. As such, it can be challenging for dancers to know when it’s time to look for a physical therapist. 

Some of the signs that you should seek out medical treatment and physical therapy include:

• Persistent pain
• Pain that increases as you do an activity
• Pain that makes you alter your movements
• Pain that interferes with your daily activities

Ignoring pain can lead to long-lasting damage. No one wants this! 

Wasatch Peak Physical Therapy is here to help you with your physical therapy needs. We’re experienced in treating all kinds of injuries and working with athletes. Whether you have a foot and ankle injury, a hip injury, or something else, we can help. Contact us today to learn more about our physical therapy services. 

Many people struggle with poor posture nowadays. It’s seldom a sign of laziness and more often the result of unconscious habits as we strive to be more comfortable when working at low desks or looking down at books or phones. Unfortunately, what we do every so often can quickly become something we do all the time. It can be incredibly challenging to try to improve your posture, as it requires constant awareness and effort to change what has become unconscious. 

Fortunately, physical therapy can improve your posture by providing you with the professional guidance you need in order to make a lasting change. It is important to do whatever you can to improve your posture, as poor posture can have negative effects on your health and wellness over time.

Here is what you need to know about why posture matters and how physical therapy can improve your posture.

Why Is Good Posture So Important?

All our lives, we get told to sit and stand up straight. This is because good posture is not just aesthetically pleasing, but also important for our overall health. 

When you have poor posture, initially, you may not notice any adverse effects. However, over time, poor posture can result in some of the following issues:

• Shallow breathing
• Impaired balance
• Back, neck, and shoulder pain
• Headaches/migraines
• Increased risk of injury
• Digestive issues
• Struggling to move properly
• Poor circulation
• Poor sleep
• Pinched/constricted nerves
• Spinal misalignment

This is because the longer you have poor posture, the more strain there is on your joints, muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Over time, this can cause your spine to go out of alignment. The less often we have good posture, the weaker the muscles that allow us to maintain good posture get, which can make it challenging when you try to improve your posture. The worse your posture is, the more pain you’re likely to be in.

Why Do You Have Bad Posture?

Bad posture is often associated with laziness and boredom, but in truth, many cases of bad posture are the result of unconscious shifting to try to get more comfortable. As our lives have grown more sedentary, with office jobs, TVs, and more, so too has poor posture. Poor posture can also result from illness and injury. 

People typically start to hunch forward to alleviate pressure on their body. Unfortunately, over time, poor posture can end up causing unnecessary stress and strain on your body, leading to some of the adverse effects mentioned above. Left untreated, poor posture can result in even more pain, raises the potential for injury, and puts you at risk for long-term damage.

How Can Physical Therapy Improve Your Posture?

If you struggle to improve your posture, you’re well aware of just how just conscious effort it can take to try to hold your body in alignment. It can even hurt or get achy as you use muscles that have grown accustomed to not being used. As such, it can be very hard to improve your posture on your own. Seeking the help of a professional, like a physical therapist, can provide you with the guidance you need in order to improve your posture in the long-term.

Physical therapy can help you with your posture by strengthening and stretching your muscles so that over time, you have the ability to maintain good posture without even having to think about it. Your physical therapist will help you know what to correct and how to do it. They can provide you with personalized treatment plans in order to help you achieve better posture.

When you start physical therapy, you can expect an evaluation in order to identify the weakened area of your body. From there, your time in physical therapy will be personalized to your specific needs. By increasing your strength and stretching out tense muscles, it will be easier to maintain good posture. Physical therapists can also help to alleviate the pain that poor posture can cause by treating the underlying issue. 

The Benefits Of Improving Your Posture

When you see a physical therapist to work on your posture, you can enjoy not only a more confident stance, but also:

• Improved circulation
• Alleviated pain
• Improved physical function
• Prevention of damage to your spine
• Increased strength and flexibility

Wasatch Peak Physical Therapy provides professional physical therapy services. If you have pain as a result of poor posture, physical therapy may be able to help. Contact your doctor about your options, and they can refer you to us if physical therapy seems like a good treatment option for you. Contact us today to learn more about our services.