Dry Needling

When you have hard, painful knots (also known as “myofascial trigger points”) that limit your range of motion or cause your muscles to constantly spasm, it can be hard to focus on anything other than seeking relief.

Living LOUD is not an option when you’re dealing with persistent aches and pains that make simple movements like walking or sitting difficult. 

Whether you’re recovering from an injury such as whiplash, a bad case of sciatica from a disc bulge or herniation, or a dedicated athlete seeking a faster recovery, dry needling therapy can help you get back in the game, back to work, or simply off the couch. 

Here at LIVE LOUD, dry needling is most often used as a complementary treatment to other manual therapy techniques such as chiropractic adjustments, massage, stretching, physiotherapy, and cupping, helping muscles get back to proper function without drugs, surgery, or negative side effects.

The doctors at LIVE LOUD Chiropractic & Coaching are the Boulder County experts in dry needling therapy. Don’t let another day go by without experiencing the relief, rejuvenation, and performance-enhancing benefits needling can offer.

Dry needling is a form of intramuscular manual therapy, meaning a practitioner manually inserts thin filiform needles into your muscle tissue at specific points on your body called trigger points (those pesky knots that are hard to get out on your own). 

Trigger points produce pain in muscles by causing abnormal muscle firing or spasms. Dry needle insertion on these trigger points can help break up the bands of muscle created by this abnormal activity.

Once inserted, the needle is moved up and down or may  be “stimulated” with electricity, in order to increase blood flow and create a release of the tension that’s causing pain or dysfunction. 

It’s called “dry” needling because the needle is solid and is not used to inject substances of any kind into your body like an immunization or IV needle. 

Muscles near the site of injury, irritation, or inflammation typically contract in response. This contraction limits circulation, which leads to the accumulation of stagnant blood. Less hydration and nutrients reach the affected area, which can aggravate the problem. 

There are also supporting arguments that abnormal muscle firing signaling from nerves can also create trigger points.  Because of the consistent muscle firing of the muscles, they can become fatigued and painful due to the heightened response.

With dry needling therapy, needles are inserted into the painful area, as close to the tight knot as possible, penetrating through just a small amount of skin to contact these deeper trigger points that will hopefully instigate muscle contractions that release the tension.

When the dry needle is inserted near the problem area, the micro-tears caused by the needle also set a healing response into motion, causing activation of the immune system. Blood that’s well hydrated and carries plenty of nutrients moves to the needling site and accelerates tissue rejuvenation. 

Needles may be inserted deeply or just below the skin’s surface. If you feel your muscle spasming or twitching in response, it is a good sign that the right spot is being worked on.  The twitch is a positive sign that the abnormal nerve signaling to the muscle is trying to normalize and can also be facilitated through electrostimulation.

Research has shown dry needling effectively treats tissue inflammation, sensitized nerve tissue, scar tissue formation, and deficient circulation of blood and lymph. Systemically, pain pathways are reduced or eliminated, endogenous opioids are released, and specific muscle tension is normalized.

This means you’re less likely to suffer from chronic pain with regular dry needling sessions.

I experienced some shoulder pain that was not resolving on its own.  I consulted with Dr. Antonio Gurule and within three sessions of adjustments, rock taping and recommended at home exercises, my shoulder issues resolved and my range of motion actually improved.

The extent of Antonio’s scope of practice became evident when months later I injured my foot running.  During these sessions he added dry needling with electrical stimulation and within a short period of time I was able to return to almost all the activities I enjoy.

I am a doctor, I am a patient and I highly recommend Dr. Antonio Gurule from a professional point of view and a patient’s perspective.

-Shari Posada // Lafayette, CO

When combined with other forms of therapy like stretching, exercise, movement pattern correction, and chiropractic adjustments, dry needling has been shown to be especially effective. Studies confirm needling can reduce the symptoms of many different types of chronic and acute pain, including:

• Back Pain 
• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
• Fibromyalgia
• Headaches And Migraines
• Myofascial Pain
• Neck Pain
• Nerve Damage 
• Neurological Spasticity
• Plantar Fasciitis
• Knee pain
• Sciatica
• Shin Splints
• Shoulder Injury
• Spinal Issues
• Sprains
• TMJ
• Whiplash

So if you’ve felt like there’s no solution to your chronic neck or shoulder tightness that’s causing shooting pains in both arms when sitting at your desk too long…

Or you have unyielding pain below your knee that’s been getting worse with each passing day…

Or you have sustained a disc herniation with burning sciatica in your leg, butt, and lower back, it’s time to come to LIVE LOUD to try dry needling.