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Monday, April 18, 2016

For The Best Specialists In Dry Needling Pennsylvania Should Be Prioritized

By Richard Collins


Dry needling is a form of therapy of muscle pain like myofascial pain syndrome, which uses needles. This process makes use of two kinds of acupuncture needles, that is, solid filiform needles and hollo-core hypodermic needles. The other name for this process is intramuscular stimulation (IMS). It is among the many traditional practices that fall under western medical acupuncture. When in need of dry needling Pennsylvania is worth visiting.

In the Chinese style of tendinomuscular acupuncture Ah Shi points are carefully palpated, As Shi points correspond to trigger points as well as motor points in myofascial tissues. The Chinese style differs from the Japanese and American and Japanese styles which use higher gauge needles by using lower gauge needles. Lower gauge needles increase precision in puncturing contraction knots. Practitioners in most acupunctural styles need to possess a great deal of knowledge in western anatomy as well as channel networks and connections.

As such, even though not all forms of acupuncture are covered under IMS and the two practices differ, some forms of acupuncture can be referred to specifically using the term IMS. Those forms include versions of Sports Acupuncture, tendinomuscular Acupuncture, and Myofascial Acupuncture. The term dry needling was first described in a book by a woman named Janet Travell. Thus, she is credited with coining the term.

Initially, there were concerns about the employment of solid needles. They were thought to lack the strength and tactile feedback that are provided by hypodermic needles. Solid needles were also thought as being easy to be deflected by dense contraction knots. However, those concerns were determined to be baseless and solid needles also called acupuncture needles are now being used.

In fact, research has concluded that dense muscle knots are penetrated better and easier by acupuncture needles and the tactile feedback they provide is also better. Also, patients feel less uncomfortable and the needles are easier to manage. The official FDA designation for the needles used is acupuncture needles, but practitioners offering IMS without the scope of acupuncture in their profession introduced the term solid filiform needle. That is the technical design term.

Currently, there are no standards in dry needling. Also, its efficacy is not indicated by and body of evidence, but mostly claims. Most studies to determine efficacy in the technique were crowded by issues that rendered it impossible to gather any strong evidence. For example, most sample sizes used were small, there were high drop out rates, and randomization was not applied.

The studies failed to state if the pain the patient felt was solely caused by myofascial trigger points. Additionally, they did not adhere to minimally acceptable criteria that need to be followed to diagnose a myofascial trigger point. Drop out rates in some studies have been as high as 48 percent. However, research studies that continued to the end concluded that IMS can improve function, disability, and mood.

This treatment option is taught and practiced in various places worldwide. The professionals who teach and practice include chiropractors, acupuncturists, physical therapists, naturopathic physicians, doctors of osteopathic medicine, and doctors of medicine among others. In the US, ISM is part of the scope of practice of Doctors of Medicine, acupuncturists, and Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine.




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