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A Little Background on Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain condition that is characterized by wide spread musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, and tenderness in various areas of the body, such as the neck, back, shoulders, and hips. It is believed to be caused by changes in how the brain and spinal cord process pain signals, resulting in increased sensitivity to pain. Other common symptoms that often occur alongside fibromyalgia include sleep disturbances, headaches, irritable bowel syndrome, and depression or anxiety.
Although it is not super common, there is a fair chance that you or someone you know may have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia. According to the American College of Rheumatology, the prevalence of fibromyalgia in the general population is estimated to be around 2-4%, while in women the prevalence is estimated to be as high as 7-10%. Fibromyalgia is more common in individuals with other chronic pain conditions, such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and lupus. The prevalence also tends to increase with age.
What is Dry Needling:
Dry needling is a therapeutic technique we use frequently at Thrive HQ to treat pain and muscle tension. The technique involves inserting thin, solid needles into trigger points in the muscle, which are areas of increased tightness and tenderness due to portions of your muscles staying in a contracted (shortened and tight) position.
Dry needling is based on the theory that inserting a needle into a trigger point can release tension and stimulate a healing response in the muscle tissue. Unlike acupuncture, which is based on traditional Chinese medicine and targets specific energy pathways, dry needling is based on a Western understanding of anatomy and physiology. Over the past decade, there has been an explosion in the quantity and quality of research that has been conducted regarding dry needling and the evidence has been extremely promising.
We often are asked why it is called "dry needling..." We often first respond by saying we don't love the name that was given to the technique, but hey, not much we can do there :) Either way, it is called "dry" because no medication or fluid is injected into the body. This is in contrast to an injection like a cortisone injection, where there is a liquid that is injected into the body. Dry needling is considered a safe and well-tolerated technique when performed by a trained and licensed healthcare professional. Although, it is not appropriate for everyone, a skilled physical therapist who has been trained in dry needling techniques will be able to determine if dry needling would be appropriate for you or not.
Dry Needling for Fibromyalgia:
At Thrive HQ, dry needling is a "go-to" technique we use for our clients with fibromyalgia that has produced excellent results in pain reduction, oftentimes when other healthcare providers were unable to provide any results.
We have clinically seen the amazing impact dry needling has had for clients with fibromyalgia! It is a wonderful feeling to see someone who has been dealing with so much pain and has tried so many different things, to finally find a solution to address their fibromyalgia pain! As with all of our care, we use evidence based practice, which means that we take our professional experience of working on the front line with thousands of clients in the clinic along with the research to provide care that is supported both in research and reality.
A recent systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted by Valera-Calero et al on the "Efficacy of Dry Needling and Acupuncture in Patients with Fibromyalgia." This systematic review and meta-analysis examined the effectiveness of dry needling and acupuncture as treatments for fibromyalgia. The review included 12 studies and found that both dry needling and acupuncture were effective in reducing pain and improving physical function in patients with fibromyalgia. Dry needling was found to be more effective in reducing pain intensity than acupuncture.
Do you want to try Dry Needling for Your Fibromyalgia?
At Thrive HQ, we are here to change lives through movement. We know how frustrating pain can be. If you or someone you know is dealing with fibromyalgia and has not been able to find a solution to the pain, we would love to show you how we utilize dry needling along with our proven process to help you address your pain and continue to do the things you love.
At Thrive HQ we do healthcare differently. We want to make sure we are the right team to help you before we ask you to commit anything financially. For some reason, traditional healthcare thinks it is okay to charge you $500+ for a 15 minute visit simply to refer you out to a specialist for another $500+ plus session. Put simply, that is complete BS... At Thrive HQ we offer everyone a free phone or in-person discovery visit where we are able to connect, learn about you and your goals, and make sure we get you in the right place from the start. If you'd like to get started with figuring out a solution to your fibromyalgia pain, reach out to today to get scheduled for a free phone or in-person discovery session. Click one of the buttons below to learn more!