Dry needle therapy is an invasive treatment procedure in which a needle is inserted into a muscle trigger point (Ries, 2015). The goal of dry needle therapy is to cause a local twitch response, which is defined as a “brisk contraction of a taut band of skeletal muscle fibers elicited by snapping palpation of a trigger point [TrP] in that band” (Hong, 1994). It is distinct from acupuncture and is a westernized form of trigger point therapy (Kalichman & Vulfsons, 2010). In the 1940s, doctors Janet Travell and David Simons promoted injection of substances into trigger points, or muscle knots that can cause radiating pain upon movement of the muscle or pressing on the knot to relieve pain (Kalichman & Vulfsons, 2010; DeLaune, 2015). However, the …show more content…
Current research suggests that trigger points are caused by a dysfunction in the nerves that signal the muscles to contract (Simons, Travell, & Simons 1999). When the neural activity becomes unsynchronized, it can cause muscles to contract without relaxing (Simons et al. 1999; Ge, Fernandez-de-las-Penas, & Yue 2011). This constant contraction results in a trigger point, which restricts blood flow to the taut muscle area and causes both localized and referred pain (Ge et al. 2011). Researchers theorize that DN interferes with the malfunctioning nerve signals and resets them to their normal function (Simons et al. 1999; Giamberardino, Affaitati, Fabrizio, & Costantini 2011).
B. Local twitch response The local twitch response, caused by DN, results in several physiological factors. It causes changes in muscle fiber length as well as reduces tension in the muscle knot. (Baldry 2005). Its primary function is to reset faulty nerve signals, and research by Chen et al (2001) theorizes that it accomplishes this by reducing the overactive nerve signals to the muscle knot and allowing the muscle to relax.
C. Change in blood
Trigger point saline injections is thought to be disruption of the trigger points by the mechanical effect causing local vasodilation, dilution, and removal of the accumulated nociceptive substrates. In several studies trigger point injections have been found to provide significant relief from myofascial low back
As a result of the contractions in the Muscle- Skeletal Longitudinal Section cells and the Muscle- Skeletal Cross Section cells, it allows your muscle to be able to contract in response to nerve stimuli. This means that the movements of most of these muscles are not involuntary, you can control them. Therefore, once the stimulation stops, the muscles relax.
The therapies offers uses state-of-the art science, including dry needling. It is like acupuncture with the use of needles that uses mild electronic current to stimulate muscles in precise positions.
When a patient tries to work through the aches and pains of either rehab or activities of daily life, they can develop pinpoint pain in their muscle due to compensation patterns that may hinder their performance. These pinpoint pains are commonly referred to as either active or latent trigger points. Active trigger points are known as highly localized, hyperirritable, taut bands of skeletal muscle fibers that can be felt by the patient without any palpation; while latent trigger points are pain-free until stimulated with palpation (Morihisa,Eskew, McNamara, & Young, 2016). These trigger points have been seen to be the cause of up to 85% of patients with the chief complaint of muscular pain (Unverzagt, Berglund, & Thomas, 2015). It is because of this that recent research on a technique called dry needling, has recently taken the sports medicine field by storm.
D. Nerve impulses from motor neuromuscular junctions are unable to fully stimulate the affected muscle because the antibodies target the acetylcholine receptors at the neuromuscular junction. As a result, the muscles are not told to fire properly.
Afferent muscle stretch reflexes are initiated from muscle spindles9. Other afferent receptors such as joint receptors and skin sensors can generate further input8. The sum of these inputs results in reflexive movement in the absence of efferent signals from higher cortical centers7. Afferent neural input from the muscle spindle stretch receptors connected to the muslces intrafusal fibers enters the spinal cord through the dorsal horn9. They are then capable of diverging in order to take different paths and elicit several coordinated responses to a single stimulus9. The patellar reflex is a monosynaptic stretch reflex because the afferent signals synapse directly onto a motor neuron in the spinal cord9. Tapping the tendon pushes on the tissue, which activates stretch receptors within the muscle9. These afferent neural inputs from the receptors send excitatory action potentials to motor neurons in the spinal cord which, elicit the contraction of the quadriceps, extending the lower leg outwards to compensate for the stretch stimulus experienced9. In contrast, in a polysynaptic pathway, the stretch stimuli send afferent signals to the spinal cord that synapse onto inhibitory interneurons, eliciting the inhibition the antagonist (the hamstrings)9. This reciprocal innervation of the agonist and antagonist allows for the appropriate levels of tension to be developed in both muscles to elicit a smooth coordinated
When a patient tries to work through the aches and pains of either rehab or activities of daily life, they can develop pinpoint pain in their muscle due to compensation patterns that may hinder their performance. These pinpoint pains are commonly referred to as either active or latent trigger points. Active trigger points are known as highly localized, hyperirritable, taut bands of skeletal muscle fibers that can be felt by the patient without any palpation; while latent trigger points are pain-free until stimulated with palpation (Morihisa,Eskew, McNamara, & Young, 2016). These trigger points have been seen to be the cause of up to 85% of patients with the chief complaint of muscular pain (Unverzagt, Berglund, & Thomas, 2015). It is because of this that recent research on a technique called dry needling, has recently taken the sports medicine field by storm.
This would have told us if the entire duration had a standard baseline tension on which the muscle twitch was measured. As seen in figure 2, there is a sharp decline in the muscle activity from 4 pps onwards. The data indicates that the muscle reached fatigue too soon. This is due to the fact that as action potential travels from the cell membrane to the sarcoplasmic reticulum the ryanodine receptors (Sherwood, 2010). This is when the Ca2+ binds to the troponin leading to a cascade of events that results in the power stroke (Sherwood, 2010). Once tetany begins there is an increased observation of twitch summation which can be seen to be lacking as observed in diagram 10. Since length of time and amount of Ca2+ is heavily involved in the process of muscle contraction (Sherwood, 2010). Faster release and reuptake of Ca2+ causes faster twitches that do not reach the same muscle contractile in grams until a maximum tetanic contraction is achieved which was not observed in figure 2. This was unable to explain how increasing stimulus frequency resulted in the cause of tetany. The only increase was seen from 2 pps to 4 pps, which was inconsistent with the rest of the incremental increases decline. It can be speculated that there might have been the point when the tension of string holding the
Being one of the proteins that initiates the unbinding of actin and myosin, its location allows for easy access to bind to and change the shape of actin. As dystrophin and actin bind, force is transmitted from within the sarcomere to the extracellular space and surrounding muscle cells. When dystrophin function is inhibited, it won’t bind to actin and the cross bridge cycle is interrupted; meaning no contractions.
A trigger point massage is one of the services that you can get a day spa. This is a type of massage therapy that focuses on the trigger points. The trigger point is a tight area in the muscle that causes other areas of the body to experience pain. For example, a tight area in the neck can cause pain in the head. A trigger point may also be referred to as a muscle knot.
Commonly referred to as myofascial trigger points in the medical profession, these locations on your body are a common cause of discomfort and pain. These areas commonly produce referred pain, meaning that pain from this area can be found in other muscle groups and joints away from the source of the pain itself. This is why myofascial discomfort in one’s spine or shoulder often causes headaches and neck pain.
Low-intensity mechanical stimulation of the trigger zones by speaking, washing or eating can provoke pain.(Love and Coakham, 2001)
When a patient has a significant amount of pain, they seek medical attention, however, if their pain is muscular, they are often referred to a physical therapist. At the clinic, the patient’s injury is further evaluated and a treatment plan is discussed. Depending on the physical therapist, the patient, and the state, dry needling may be one of the primary treatments. Although, it is currently being debated for its long-term effects on the muscle tissue, combining different treatment techniques with needling allows the muscle to strengthen and can increase range of motion. By combining dry needling with
A trigger point is a spot in the body within the muscle tissue that can cause pain in other parts of the body. For example, by pressing a trigger point on someone’s back, they may begin to feel the pain in another spot such as their neck. It can cause a dull or sharp pain when done.
Mechanoreception is a practice where mechanical sensations of touch reinforce the stimulation of mechanoreceptors applied affecting the body’s tissue. Equal parts of impulse effects of mechanoreceptor input can excite and inhibit functions. Acupuncture points are special sites with deeper sensory disbursement to different body parts and connective tissue. The insertion of a needle into these points acts as a mechanical stimulus that activates the mechanoreceptors and sends conduit (vessels) signals to the central nervous system (CNS), where pain is processed in the brain. Neurochemical processes of pain modulation are consequently activated, inducing acupuncture analgesia.