Have Fibromyalgia And Didn't Like Acupuncture? 2 Reasons To Try Dry Needling Instead

If you suffer from fibromyalgia, then you may turn to alternative medicine for relief of your pain and fatigue because many provide all-natural pain relief. Since acupuncture works so well for many people who suffer from fibromyalgia, you may have tried it and decided it "wasn't for you" for some reason. Don't give up hope and think that you may be "running out of options" for getting fibromyalgia relief, because dry needling is another very effective form of alternative medicine that works very well for many people suffering from fibromyalgia. Read on to learn about dry needling and two reasons it may work very well for you, even if you didn't feel that acupuncture gave you the relief you desired. 

1. Dry Needling Loosens Tight Fascia to Release "Knots"

While dry needling and acupuncture both involve the placement of needles to relieve pain and other ailments and are both all-natural, the similarities end there. When performing acupuncture, as you may have learned during your session, the acupuncturists inserts needles strategically at pre-designated acupuncture points that, after years of study, have been shown to help relieve the ailment a person is suffering from. While the points chosen may by near the site of your pain, they are typically not directly inserted into painful, tight areas of your back and body. 

However, when performing dry needling, which is also called myofascial trigger-point therapy, needles are placed directly into painful areas of your body, especially those that are feeling tight and "knotted." Those knots are often caused by tight fascia, and the goal of the practitioner is to loosen the tight fascia during needle placement. 

If you have pain and tightness in specific areas of your body, especially in your back, neck, and shoulders as many people suffering from fibromyalgia do, then that is a sign that dry needling is likely to work very well for you. 

2. Dry Needling Can be Coupled with Pain-Relieving Injections

If you love all-natural pain relief, then dry needling alone will likely be sufficient for relieving your fibromyalgia pain. However, know that many dry needling practitioners will couple the needle placement with pain-relieving lidocaine injections for a quick, extra boost of pain relief. Some dry needling practitioners use hypodermic needles instead of standard acupuncture needles during treatments; if you would like a pain-relieving injection in addition to the pain relief you will experience from dry needling alone, all your practitioner has to do is fill the needle with the proper anesthetic before inserting and manipulating it and then simply inject the solution into the trigger point before removing it. 

Just like dry needling alone, trigger point injections have been proven to help people with fibroymyalgia live with less pain and, when coupled with dry needling, can provide you long-lasting pain relief. 

If you suffer from fibromyalgia, then you likely already know that alternative medicine often works very well for fibromyalgia sufferers. If you obtained acupuncture and experienced some pain relief, but not as much as you had hoped, then dry needling is another great pain-relief option to try to help you get back to living a normal, pain-free life again. For more information, contact local professionals like Balance Point Therapy.