It’s not uncommon for people to put their treatment on the back burner due to fear of its costs or expenses. Dealing with insurance companies can be tricky, and it’s not always clear-cut what is covered and what is not. The good news is that P3 Physical Therapy takes insurance for most treatments, including dry needling.
So, if you’re suffering from muscle pain, this effective technique can be an important part of your road to recovery.
At P3 Physical Therapy, Your Dry Needling Therapy is Covered!
Given its rise in popularity, people have a misconception that dry needling in El Paso is additional and not part of a plan covered by insurance. The truth is most insurance covers dry needling treatment!
If you’re looking for muscular pain treatment in El Paso, P3 Physical Therapy performs dry needling to help restore your mobility and function. Call us today to learn more — 915-444-5200!
What is Dry Needling?
Dry needling is a technique used to treat pain and movement impairments. Dry needling is an effective treatment for various ailments, including:
- Chronic pain
- Muscle pain
- Tension headaches
- Other myofascial discomforts
This treatment depends on the concept of myofascial trigger points. If you’ve ever heard of “muscle knots,” you are familiar with the concept of trigger points. These points refer to tender spots in the skeletal muscle, often nodules and taut bands of muscle.
When people experience muscle knots, they experience myofascial pain: areas of the body that are painful to the touch. Exhaustion, overuse, and strain can cause these painful muscle knots.
Beneath the surface, of course, there might be several things going on at the muscular level, and the treatment of this requires a profound knowledge of the anatomical features, myofascial tissue, and smooth muscle tissue.
This is because many of these painful trigger points are a result of inadequate blood supply, which causes a deficiency of nutrients in the muscle, therefore preventing it from relaxing and returning to its rest state.
How Does Dry Needling Work?
The treatment uses special filiform needles that are inserted without medication into the muscle tissue. The needle goes through the skin and is meant to stimulate the myofascial trigger points, including blood flow, and help inflammation. The twitch response produced by the needles works to stimulate the muscle.
The treatment requires a specialized physical therapist to locate the appropriate trigger points and target them correctly. The therapist inserts the needle and then manipulates the needle slightly in order to prompt the twitch response.
What are the Benefits?
The short answer is that dry needling is incredibly effective at combating pain. If you suffer from muscle spasms and painful muscle knots that affect your mobility or range of motion, dry needling can have a positive effect on you.
Here’s how this treatment can help you:
- It stimulates trigger points and increases blood flow to that tissue
- The increase in blood flow and blood supply flushes out the sore spots
- The sensation produced by the needle stimulates nerve fibers and prompts brain signals that release endorphins
The Evolution of Dry Needling in Physical Therapy
The dry needling technique emerged out of decades of study into muscular pain. In the 1930s, experimentation with injecting certain solutions into the tender muscle spots could help with the pain.
In 1942, the term “trigger points” emerged in respected medical papers that began to define the concept of myofascial pain. At the same time, acupuncture has become mainstream as an ancient Japanese treatment, and it led to increased interest in the dry needling technique for muscle pain.
While the concepts have been around for a long time, the use of dry needling as a staple of physical therapy is still relatively new. For example, in 2004, only about four U.S. states approved dry needling as a part of physical therapy treatment. Seven years later, that number had increased to 20 states. Research, study, and patient recovery rates have helped the industry embrace this effective technique.
Our Dry Needling Treatments in El Paso are Covered by Insurance — Call Us Today to Learn More
Physical therapy has made incredible strides in helping people overcome injury, improve chronic pain, and enhance mobility. As research in the field continues, experts develop new treatment approaches and modalities that help the healing process.
Dry needling has gained momentum in the last years as a treatment for muscle pain and loss of mobility. The good news is that patients can use their insurance to receive dry needling treatments at P3 Physical Therapy in El Paso.
Living with pain is not easy. There are solutions out there that can help you return to normal. If you have questions about what we do here at P3 Physical Therapy, call our office today and make an appointment.
