 Dry needling is a technique utilized by physical therapists, chiropractors, physicians, and other healthcare professionals to decrease pain and improve movement patterns. Read on to learn more about dry needling.
2. Is it acupuncture? Although dry needling may sound a lot like acupuncture, the only real similarity is the tool (needle) used. During acupuncture, needles are applied along specific acupoints and meridians in the body to balance forces that produce the body’s Qi. During dry needling, needles are applied to specific tissues causing neural or muscular dysfunction and are based on the clinician’s assessment and the client’s movement dysfunctions. Training for acupuncture and dry needling is separate, although some healthcare providers may practice both acupuncture and dry needling. 3. What should I expect during dry needling? If a clinician decides that dry needling may be a good technique to assist in your healing process, they will bring it up and discuss any possible risks involved. The exact techniques used will differ depending on your provider and their assessment, but can involve anywhere from one to ten or more needles, and may involve different techniques such as pistoning or use of electrical stimulation. Dry needling is sometimes painless since the needles are so small, but sometimes can feel like a deep, cramping sensation. You may also experience twitches in the muscle if it’s irritated. 4. What should I do after? After a dry needling session, you may experience some soreness, as if you just did a really tough workout, which may last 1-2 days. The best thing to do to help with soreness is to keep your body moving! You may also use ice or heat if it feels good. A small percentage of people may notice a bruise after dry needling, but oftentimes, you won’t even be able to see where the needle was. Dry needling is a great technique that can help with a variety of conditions and movement dysfunctions. If you are interested in learning more, or are currently dealing with a nagging pain or injury, click HERE to schedule a 1:1 visit with a Doctor of Physical Therapy to get you back to living and moving pain-free! Thanks for reading! Dr. Chrissy PT
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 Are you an avid crossfitter, powerlifter, or gym-goer who doesn’t neglect their squats? Do you ever have pain or pinching in your hip when you get down to full depth? You’re not alone! Luckily, there are several things you can try in order to get rid of this pain for good so you can get back to your heavy squats!
This pain can be due to a variety of reasons, such as stiffness in your ankles, hips, or back, as well as weakness in deep core and hip muscles. Here are a few things to try before your next squat session:
Give these quick tips a try before your next squat session! If your hips continue to limit your squats or other lifts, click HERE to schedule a 1:1 visit with a Doctor of Physical Therapy to get back to heavy lifting. Thanks for reading! Dr. Chrissy, PT  Have you recently experienced an injury such as an ankle sprain, shoulder injury, or low back strain? Oftentimes, athletes will head to urgent care after a musculoskeletal injury to get care, only to be told “rest, ice, elevate, and take ibuprofen - it’ll get better in a few weeks” and are shown the door. While instructions like “R.I.C.E.” (rest, ice, compression, elevation) can be helpful short-term, they don’t get you back to functional activities or competitive sports.
Here are steps you can take following an injury to get you back to activity:
If you have recently suffered an injury, have yet to return to the level you performed at before an injury, or would like to level-up your performance and optimize your movement, click HERE to schedule a 1:1 visit with a Doctor of Physical Therapy to get back to your favorite activities! Thanks for reading! Dr. Chrissy, PT, DPT  Are you an avid runner who has achy knees after going for a run? Unfortunately, this seems to be a common complaint we hear from athletes and throughout the running community. Are you ready to get rid of your knee pain for good? Follow these steps for relief! 1. Level up your cross-training! How often are you doing other forms of exercise, such as swimming, resistance training, or yoga? One of the best ways to combat aching or overuse injuries is to move in other ways. Our bodies and muscles are made to move in all directions, and with running we move repetitively and in the same pattern. Running is also a high-impact exercise, which can be harder on our joints. Mix up your exercise by incorporating other activities such as cycling, swimming, resistance training, or yoga at least twice per week. 2. Add in single-leg strengthening If you think about it, running is just a series of single-leg hops! In general, we recommend that ALL athletes include at least one single-sided exercise per workout, and runners need even more as they spend so much time on one leg. During your next leg workout, try adding in some lunges, pistol squats, or single-leg bridges! 3. Make sure you are getting adequate rest This goes for both “rest days” and sleeping! Most adults should aim for at least 7 hours of sleep per night, but some people do require more to feel fully rested! As for rest days - you should be taking at least one day per week off of running. Try incorporating other types of exercise and active recovery such as yoga and mobility work during your rest day! Try implementing these tips during your training, and send these tips to your running buddies! If you continue to have knee pain while running, click HERE to schedule a 1:1 visit with YOUR Doctor of Physical Therapy to get you back to CRUSHING your runs! Thanks for reading! :) Dr. Chrissy, PT, DPT  In recent months, a trend emerged on social media showing adults attempting to skip. Some adults came out victorious, with a skipping pattern that would make their younger selves proud. However, most adults quickly came to the realization that they could no longer skip with ease as they did during their childhood. Why is it that things that were so easy as children, such as skipping and hopscotch, are no longer easy as adults?
When we were children, we often spent several hours per day playing and doing different types of physical activities. In school, we had P.E. (physical education) and recess time to play games and sports with others. A large portion of us would also go to a sports practice of some sort after school, or would go home and hop on the bicycle or shoot hoops with other neighborhood kids. Each day was filled with different types of physical activity, which challenged our creativity, coordination, mobility, strength, and balance. As adults, we don’t spend nearly as much time doing activities like we did as kids. Most of us don’t challenge our bodies and brains with new activities such as trying a new sport or learning a new trick. We often get into an exercise routine that is repetitive and doesn’t challenge us as much as our childhood activities did. When was the last time you tried a new sport, agility drill, or balance exercise? I challenge you, today, to add in just a few minutes of a new activity or something that you haven’t done in years. Try skipping, hopping, dancing, or getting outside, and remember to have fun doing it! If you notice that you have difficulty while trying to balance, or maybe your coordination isn’t where you’d like it to be, reach out to us HERE to schedule a visit! Thanks for reading! Dr. Chrissy, PT, DPT
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