New Service: Dry Needling

We are excited to announce that The Smith Clinic now offers dry needling as one of our therapy options. Dry needling is more targeted than traditional acupuncture, which usually involves several needles along certain lines in the body. Just one needle is used in dry needling, and it’s put directly into a trigger point in the affected muscle. Muscle tightness often leads to compression and irritation of the nerves exiting the spine. That can lead to secondary dysfunction like carpal tunnel, tendonitis, osteoarthritis and a range of other problems.

Our therapist moves the needle back and forth to cause a twitch response that releases the muscle,  and he can usually feel the muscle give way underneath his fingers. The process is not painful for most patients but can cause a little soreness. This treatment option is used for people suffering from headaches, back pain, carpel tunnel, knee pain, frozen shoulder, plantar fasciitis and muscle tendonitis. 

Caleb, one of our staff members, had dry needling done of his shoulder and had a very positive experience:
"I have been struggling with chronic shoulder pain for over four years. My range of motion was extremely limited, and my daily activities were hindered as I dealt with the pain every day. I also dealt with occasional numbness, and it was hard to sleep on that shoulder. 
I am not afraid of needles; however, I was skeptical of having the procedure done to me. The process itself involved very little pain, as I did not even feel the needle go into my shoulder muscle. There were some involuntary “twitches” in the muscle. It felt like a tiny spasm, but it was not painful. Michael explained that this was normal and necessary for the muscle to “release” and “reset”.
I immediately felt a lessening of muscle tension, and my range of motion was vastly improved just after one session. My muscles were sore for a couple of days; but there is a dramatic improvement from where I was before the dry needling was done. We have done a couple more sessions since then to target any more tenderness and knotty areas, and I get better after each session. The trigger points are virtually gone, and I should be able to strengthen the muscles properly now that the muscle dysfunction is gone.
I have seen the results firsthand, and I'm so thankful that something so simple can give me such relief. After years of dealing with this pain, I can finally see improvement."

If you have questions about the procedure, or want to talk to Michael or Chris to see if this is an option for you, please give us a call at 901-756-1650.