I am going to share with you a bit of insight on how my professional development, even within the confines of T&T’s, politically riddled and inefficiently ran sports industry, has managed to acquire an opportunity to elevate to another level within my clinical practice.
Let me introduce you to the technique of dry needling, a technique that utilizes the same equipment as acupuncture, looks the same as acupuncture but operates by very different principles and philosophies
Traditional acupuncture operates on the principles of energy flow along the body’s meridian lines, referred to by the Chinese as the body’s “Chi.”
The belief is that when these energy flows are blocked, ailments occur and the acupuncture techniques are aimed to remove the blockage and revive the energy flows in the body’s system.
Dry needling, however, is based on a more tangible basis of the physiological principles. The general purpose is to deactivate trigger points that have developed within the muscle due to injury or tension in the tissue, which has resulted for whatever reason.
While this may sound very similar to massage therapy that utilises fingers or elbows to accomplish the same thing, needles are less painful and in some cases, more effective. It is important to always bear in mind that the same can be said for other cases in favour of massage therapy—the key is to know the best application for the case being treated.
That being said, one of the unique benefit of dry needle work is, however, being able to target more than one spot at a time, if need be, by placing more than one needle at a time and allowing the tissue to respond.
Where I currently practice, we recently added a trigger point therapist to the team. She brings her dry needling skills to the table thus introducing a new dimension to therapy.
Sherise Clancy, trained abroad, has just returned home after 15 years in Ireland and has been practicing dry needling and trigger point therapy for a few years now. Her patient outcomes thus far have been impressive, from chronic to acute conditions.
As it relates to my own practice, a setting where I often come across injuries related to overuse and over specialization, the dry needle has been great in reducing both active and dormant trigger points. The usual side effects of this treatment include a sensation of soreness to the treated area and sometimes, lethargy.
It is recommended that the client take the rest of the day to rest and to drink a lot of water following this treatment, allowing the body to recover from the application and flush the body of any toxins and debris that would have resulted from the session. Applying cold therapy such as ice to the area for 20 minutes, regularly also helps to minimise this discomfort.
As much as I appreciate this form of therapeutic application, I become ever more convinced that no single form of therapy is a cure all. Sherise has noted it as well, and witnesses the improvements directly when the specialties come together to treat a client. After a few sessions of shared rehabilitation, the pain/discomfort is minimal and the athlete is better able to apply proper body mechanics to his daily and athletic life.
Vanessa Aberdeen, a qualified sports massage therapists and colleague with whom I also work, also cross refers her clients for dry needling as indicated, particularly with cases where there is nerve involvement.
Appreciate the fact that these are two skills specifically trained in the area of soft tissue manipulation that are able to complement each other versus compete against each other. It is a humbling and refreshing thing to work with a team that is able to appreciate the strengths of the various specialties and develop a team approach towards accomplishing the end goal of pain-free, full return to sport or movement.
Not always is it possible to speed up the recovery time even with the application of the various specialties, as lifestyles significantly impacts on an individual’s response to therapy.
My experience has been that people who take care of their health by eating right and exercising properly respond better, are more in tune with their body and therefore communicate more effectively with their therapist.
The body is a dynamic machine to which I will always remain a student.
By Asha De Freitas-Moseley
Source: www.guardian.co.tt