Who would have thought that sticking a person with a bunch of needles could actually help a person. I would have never guessed. It turns out that the Native Americans were using porcupine quills for needling, and the eastern cultures practicing needling for thousands of years. Although we still use needles for healing purposes, we have refined our techniques in parallel to western medicine philosophies. As a Denver chiropractor, I routinely utilize the monofilament needle in a technique known as Dry Needling to treat back pain.

Many ask, what is the difference between dry needling and acupuncture? It turns out, there is a big difference, and just because the same tool is used, it does not mean you are doing the same type of treatment. Acupuncture and Dry Needling for back pain treatment will vary. Goto an acupuncturist and goto to a chiropractor or physical therapist who does Dry Needling for back pain and you will get two very different types of treatment. I have found that Dry Needling is an excellent way to treat back pain.

As you see in the picture, there are quite a few needles in this particular patient. This specific example of Dry Needling for back pain was successful in helping the patient overcome mid back pain caused from a car accident in Denver. We were performing the usual chiropractic adjustments, active release technique, flexion-distraction therapy, electrotherapy, moist heat, and core strengthening exercises which all helped, but we came to a standstill in progress. Is was not until we performed Dry Needling for back pain that we were able to break the plateau in progress to aldry needling in denverlow full healing.

It is quite interesting how the procedure affects the body. Specifically for back pain, the goal of Dry Needling is to affect the Multifidi muscles. They are the deepest layer of muscles in the back and responsible for proprioception and stabilization. When an injury occurs to the back these muscle become inhibited and can become fatty due to disuse. This disuse can cause excessive shear forces in the spine, putting undue strain on the discs and joints in the back. This added pressure will create further injury if not treated appropriately. Inserting a needle into these muscles is kind of like putting a screw driver into a circuit breaker, similar to shorting the system. It is akin to a computer rebooting.

The reboot allows the multifidi to work like they are supposed to, which is to activate before any of the other musculature on the back activate. The multifid fires 40 milliseconds before all other muscles fire,which is important for stabilization of the back. Learn more about the Multifidi muscles. I will also add electrostimulation to the needles in the multifidi to add stimulation and to sort of, wake them up, type stimuli. People with disc herniations, facet syndromes, stenosis, spondylosis, and various sprains and strains can all benefit from Dry Needling for a back pain.

If you would like a consult or have a question, please contact our office in the Denver Highlands area, close to LoHi.

Dr. Trent Artichoker

Denver Chiropractic, LLC
3890 Federal Blvd Unit 1
Denver, CO 80211

303-455-2225