Do you suffer from painful knots in your muscles? Have massages provided you with temporary relief but not a solution? Or maybe you’re sick of getting costly injections and still suffering from pain. If this is true of you, you might be the perfect candidate for dry needling.

Dry needling is a newer treatment that’s gaining traction and attention with its successful outcomes for people suffering from pain. The technique uses a “dry” needle, meaning it’s one without medication or injection that’s inserted through the skin into areas of the muscle, known as trigger points.

A trigger point is a taut band of skeletal muscle located within a larger muscle group. Trigger points can be tender to the touch, and touching a trigger point may cause pain to other parts of the body. People often refer to these areas as “knots” in their muscles.

Top 5 Reasons To Try

So why should you give dry needling? We asked Ames physical therapist Tim Vander Wilt for the top 5 reasons to try dry needling, and this is what he had to say:

1. Decreased pain: Dry needling works to release painful trigger points in the muscle tissue. It also triggers a healing response in the body to promote improved blood flow and increased oxygen consumption in the muscle. Not everyone is a candidate for, but in the instances where I’ve recommended we try it as a part of their overall treatment, we’ve been seeing awesome results.
2. Increased mobility & performance: As a result of releasing tightness in your muscles, you’re going to be able to move more freely and without restriction. You’re also going to see an improvement in your muscular response time and contraction rates. This means those restrictions you’re experiencing now will no longer have to stop you from doing things you love, and you’ll probably see an increase in your overall performance with normal daily, sporting, and recreational activities.
3. Decreased side effects: The side effects with dry needling are minimal and short term. People usually experience general achiness and fatigue that will last less than 24 hours.
4. Reduced reliance on pills: One of my favorite parts about dry needling can reduce reliance on medication for pain control. Opioids and pain killers are a hot topic right now, and dry needling is a much more natural pain solution than a pill that may have unforeseen side effects.
5. Cost effective: I’m a good Dutch guy, so I’m all about cost effectiveness for my clients. Dry needling is less expensive than injections, medication, and surgery.

If you are suffering from pain and have tried everything to get rid of it, dry needling might be the perfect solution for you. Dry needling is offered at our Pella, Des Moines, Oskaloosa, Newton, Ames and Waukee clinics. For more information give us a call at 866-588-0230 or make an appointment.

Testimonials

“I had been dealing with lower back pain for about three months. I tried physical therapy, massage therapy, and going to the chiropractor. None of that worked. I started to think I was never going to get better until my mom saw a Facebook article about dry needling at Kinetic Edge. I was open to try anything so I gave it a shot. How much pain it would be had me nervous, but it turned out not really hurting at all. The thing I was most excited about was that it actually worked! After a few appointments, I was fully back to normal. I was able to participate in sports when before I could hardly walk without it hurting. It has truly been a life saver for me.” 

– Real Kinetic Edge story from Reece

“I had been working hard to try to relieve some shoulder and back pain. Tim tried the needling technique and the results were incredible. The pain was gone.”

– Real Kinetic Edge story from Sharon

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