04/24/2023
Dry Needling + Pregnancy
Dry needling is focused on the treatment and manipulation of the musculoskeletal system, myofascia, and trigger points. Basically what this means is dry needling is focused on muscle tightness, referral pain due to trigger points and pain within a joint.
What exactly does dry needling do?
Dry needling is an invasive treatment with the uses of needles puncturing the skin to get to muscles, ligaments, tendons, and/or bony backdrops. The purpose of dry needling is to increase blood flow, oxygen and circulation to the area of concern. They can also activate a local twitch response, stimulating mechanoreceptors which cause a tight muscle to regulate. Last, they have a healing and pain management effect by releasing neurotransmitters (enkephalins and endorphins) that block the transmission of pain and stimulate healing agents to the area. This is possible due to the fact that dry needling is actually creating a micro injury to the body at the area of focus, causing the healing process to initiate, bringing platelets, growth factor, neutrophils, macrophages, fibroblasts and collagen to the area.
Is this safe during pregnancy?
The answer to this question is YES! However, there are beliefs to stay away and avoid certain points, especially during the first trimester of pregnancy when miscarriages and complications are common. As long as you are going with a properly trained and certified practitioner who knows what areas to avoid, you are in the clear. If you are pregnant it is always advised that you get cleared with your health practitioner first.
What you see in this picture is a momma at 39 weeks. Yes there are some of the spots to avoid during early pregnancy being manipulated, but again she is already full term and ready to labor any day now so we are in the clear to go for it!! She has been experiencing a decrease in low back pain with chiropractic care, but still has lingering discomfort. This is why we proceeded with dry needling to give this momma some extra relief.
