A common trend in all of sports rehabilitation is dry needling. There are currently two well-recognized forms of dry needling: trigger point and dry needling with stimulation. Although both forms of functional dry needling have their pros and cons, clinicians work closely to monitor patient’s symptomatic and physical response. As many healthcare providers know, there is no “one size fits all” when it comes to patients’ examination findings, their clinical presentations, and how to improve the impairments.

 

At Next Era, we have found that our baseball players typically respond better to dry needling with neurostimulation. This form of functional dry needling provides the deep tissue relief, while minimizing the longstanding muscular soreness that trigger point dry needling can cause. Regarding the intensity and frequency of the neurostimulation- a moderate intensity at a lower frequency is most beneficial for mobility improvements, while a moderate to higher intensity at a tolerable frequency is more beneficial for pain modulation and motor control. Alongside intensity and frequency, the duration of the e-stim has been proven to be important. When the clinician and athlete are targeting mobility impairments, a smaller time frame is recommended (5-10 min) and when targeting pain modulation, a longer duration is recommended (15-20 min). 

 

 

Written by Shawn Armstrong, SPT