Recovery Therapies

Dry needling is safe, minimally discomforting, and often an effective technique for patients with certain musculoskeletal presentations. Dry needling is a treatment performed by skilled, trained therapists, certified in the procedure. A thin monofilament needle penetrates the skin and treats underlying muscular trigger points for the management of neuromusculoskeletal pain and movement impairments.

Dry needling is not the same as acupuncture. Dry needling is performed by different practitioners with different training though they use similar tools. Acupuncture is based on Eastern medicine, while dry needling is rooted in Western medicine and evaluation of pain patterns, posture, movement impairments, function, and orthopedic tests.

Dry needling treats muscle tissue, and its goal is to reduce pain, inactivate trigger points and restore function. It rarely is a standalone procedure. Rather, it often is part of a broader approach incorporating other traditional rehab interventions, soft tissue therapy into treatment.

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Cupping - Cupping while recently popularized by the Olympics similar to Therapeutic Taping in 2008 is not new. It has origins to China and Egypt.

Cupping in the rehab field here at Summit is utilized to increase blood flow, and decompress the skin and nerves that can get adhered to or within the fascia or muscle tissue. When this is effectively decompressed, we can improve movement and function in that area of the joint or muscle tissue.

You will see petechiae or slight bruising following cupping on the areas of the skin where it was utilized. You may also feel skin to be sensitive due to the cups tractioning those areas to improve blood flow to that area.

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Taping - Therapeutic Taping methods have been around for years. Elastic taping methods were popularized with Kinesio® Tape around the 2008 Olympics, even though it was commonly used by myself and other therapists long before this. It is commonly used to treat or prevent muscle and joint-related injuries such as sprains and strains, as well as tendinitis.

Elastic taping has been designed to encourage the natural healing process of the body by providing support and stability to affected muscles and joints. This type of taping doesn’t restrict the movement of the body and can prolong the benefits of manual therapy performed by those working in the rehabilitation fields.

The tape is composed of cotton, elastic filaments, and highly durable adhesive glue that is both latex-free and waterproof, which provides tactile and mechanical stimulation.

Benefits of Elastic Taping
When an elastic tape is correctly applied to the affected muscle, it lifts the skin to create a small space between the muscle and dermis layers, which reduces pressure on the injured muscles. This helps to reduce pain and decrease localized acute inflammation. Support to joints can be applied with this type of tape to aid movement control by stimulating the nervous system through the taping effects on the skin.

Contraindications to Elastic Taping
While elastic tape is latex-free, can be worn for several days at a time, is safe for many patients, and successfully treats various conditions, there are certain contraindications that you must be aware of before using elastic taping, including:

Allergy to taping materials
Compromised circulation and/or sensation in the affected area.
Thrombosis
Open wounds, irritation, or infection of the area to be taped
History of hypersensitive skin or pre-existing skin conditions (psoriasis, eczema, dermatitis).