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Stick a Needle in my Calf? Are you Kidding? Dry Needling Successfully Treats Journalist’s Heel Pain
My right heel had been hurting for weeks.
Physical Therapist Kelly Shinall of Cornerstone Rehabilitation in Oxford, treats Alyce Krouse of Oxford with dry needling, a technique of inserting a needle into the patient’s problem area to manipulate it. Shinall is one of only 48 PT’s certified in the procedure in Mississippi. Unlike in acupuncture, the needles are used to actually manipulate and treat the painful area.
Photo courtesy Stan O’Dell
A lot. All the time.
My orthopedic surgeon diagnosed me with plantar fasciitis, a common foot problem where the fascia that runs along the bottom of the foot becomes inflamed, causing pain in the heel.
I had a steroid shot and took anti-inflammatories. I went to physical therapy. I stretched, strengthened, taped and iced that foot.
Nothing helped for long.
Then my physical therapist, Kelly Shinall at Cornerstone Rehabilitation. suggested dry needling.
“Umm, what is that?” I asked.
She explained the procedure is nothing like acupuncture, but rather involves physically manipulating the problem area with a needle she inserts into it. She then uses the needle to help untangle the twisted fibers that are contributing to the pain. In my case, tight calf muscles were pulling on the fascia.
“Let’s try it,” I said, although I doubted it could really work. That doubt quickly left me though and I became a believer.
Did it hurt? Very little. Often, I was not even sure she had put the needle in yet until she began moving it.
What I did feel was the muscle jump when she hit the right spot and released the fibers. But I looked forward to that jump because it meant good things were happening.
The treatment did not miraculously cure me overnight. But over several treatments, the pain gradually subsided until it was completely gone.
Since then, my foot has been pain-free. And needles? I’m a big fan of them now.
Read this story for more on Shinall and dry needling.
Robin Street is a lecturer at the Meek School of Journalism and New Media and can be reached at rbstreet@olemiss.edu.
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Tom Messina, LAc, MS, Dipl. OM, LMT
March 14, 2015 at 8:39 am
Dry needling is acupuncture we learned that technique in acupuncture school. Acupuncture has a basis in science it’s been studied for over 30 years by the scientific community.
More injuries have occurred by the hands of PT’s and Chiropractors performing what they call dry needling. Their training consists of about 23 hours,
My training consists of hundreds of hours of actual needling classes plus 1000 hours of clinical practice besides 1500 hours of Eastern medicine theory and 1500 hours of Western medicine theory.
Also dry needling (acupuncture) is not in a Physical Therapists scope of practice, some states have banned PT’s from doing dry needling. PT’s should do what they do best and stop stealing our medicine.
Matt Briggs
March 14, 2015 at 3:20 pm
Dry Needling IS within the scope of physical therapists practice as is asserted by numerous state boards and practice acts which are what dictate a profession’s scope of practice, hence the ability of Physical Therapists to be able to perform dry needling in most states. Each states’ practice act and board for each profession (acupuncture, physical therapy, physicians, dentists, chiropractors, nursing, etc.) is different and allows or disallows different procedures for each profession. It is the opinion of a few that dry needling is not within the scope of a Physical Therapists practice. These arguments are typical of many professions who may share similar or seemingly similar techniques, procedures, etc. and it becomes a “turf” battle. No profession “owns” a particular technique. Acupuncturist are trained in and may perform dry needling. In defense of Physical Therapists, their doctoral education as well as their residency and fellowship training incorporate thousands of hours devoted to anatomy, physiology, pathology, neurology, differential diagnosis, and clinical care that is imperative in the safe performance of dry needling. This is beyond their training of the actual technique of the manipulation and application of the needle. Again, these arguments are “turf battles” with little to no foundation in evidence. If there is statement of fact comparing injuries in the performance of dry needling (or any treatment for that matter) from one profession to another it is good form to provide appropriate reference(s) otherwise it come across as hearsay and rumor and doesn’t help the argument. To my knowledge there is no evidence to suggest this. If there is evidence, I would be very appreciative if it could be provided as I am interested in reading it.
Anonymous
March 14, 2015 at 3:20 pm
Do you have a source which proves most injuries occur in the hands of PTs?
EZD
March 15, 2015 at 6:18 am
I cured my plantar fasciitis with foot strength exercises. I had it for more than a year, I have tried everything, until I started to strengthen my feet. There are many exercises you can try some are very easy to do at home. you can find many exercises guides in the internet.
Luke Bynum PT, DPT
March 18, 2015 at 3:21 pm
As I read the above comments from the three acupuncturist regarding a Physical Therapist performing dry needling, I envision them stomping their feet and yelling.. “Dry needling is mine! No one else can have it!” Also, as I read their comments, it is clear to see their responses are based on emotion and a knee jerk reaction to the feeling that another profession is “stealing” something from them. Their wording is harsh and includes – theft, stealing our medicine, disgraceful, dumbed down, and patients beware (which is my personal favorite.)
So, instead of emotion, how about we present some evidence. Physical Therapists have been safely performing dry needling since 1984. Maryland was the first state to allow the performance of this technique and since 1984, there have been no adverse events reported to the Maryland State Board of Physical Therapy (APTA, 2012). Furthermore, the US Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy Examination, Licensure, and Disciplinary Database has NO entries in ANY jurisdiction or discipline reported for harm caused by dry needling performed by Physical Therapists (APTA, 2012). In response to “CHECK the safety record for PT’s ‘dry needling’… DISGRACEFUL ” and “More injuries have occurred by the hands of PT’s and Chiropractors preforming what they call dry needling”…we just did and there was little supporting evidence to those claims.
Another argument presented was the lack of education and training for a Physical Therapist to perform dry needling. Let me clarify the training for a Physical Therapist. The entry level Doctor of Physical Therapy degree is a culmination of nearly 3000 hours of course and clinical work. A Doctor of Physical Therapy is an expert in musculoskeletal anatomy, neuromuscular anatomy, and pain sciences. Dry needling is the insertion of a needle into a muscle to treat muscular pain. We are the muscular experts and we can safely insert a needle into a muscle without causing adverse events as the evidence has stated above. After a seven year degree, and the title of Doctor of Physical Therapy, a Physical Therapist can attend seminars to learn the technique of dry needling and yes this only requires around sixty hours of extra training. But, you must remember, the Therapist is already an expert in musculoskeletal anatomy, so the course work is mostly learning the technique.
Adverse events happen in medicine. Adverse events happen in Physical Therapy. Adverse events happen in Acupuncture. Adverse events happen in Chiropractic care. Adverse events happen in life. You can find instances of pneumothorax in the hands of acupuncturist and in the hands of Physical Therapists. If you perform needling around a lung field, it is a risk. But for the acupuncturist above to state more injuries have occurred in the hands of Physical Therapists is simply not supported in the literature.
The acupuncturist arguing otherwise is nothing more than a turf war and a reaction to the feeling that a Physical Therapist is “stealing” something from them (as you can see in the above comments).
I have safely performed dry needling as a Doctor of Physical Therapy in Oxford, MS and for the United States Navy for two years without adverse event and with hundreds of satisfied patients.
Maricruz
March 23, 2015 at 3:31 pm
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Brian
April 10, 2015 at 4:50 pm
Dr. Ma, Owner/Founder of the most prominent Dry Needling school for Physical Therapists in the USA, states in his own textbook that Dry Needling is a form of Acupuncture.
The Founder of Integrative Systemic Dry Needling (ISDN), Dr. Yun-Tao Ma PhD, L.Ac., has been spearheading the “dry needling” movement in the United States. Dr. Ma states, “Although ISDN originated in traditional Chinese methods, it has developed from the ancient empirical approach to become modern medical art rooted in evidence-based thinking and practice.” [32] Dr. Ma realizing both the self contradictions and the legal ramifications of dry needling being rooted in acupuncture and Chinese medicine has since taken down all information in his bios regarding his education in Chinese Medicine and being a Licensed Acupuncturist in the United States. [34]
Yale
September 18, 2017 at 12:33 am
Sorry but your response is ridiculous. “Acupuncture has been studied for over 30 years”? What an insanely stupid Westerner answer. Acupuncture has been studied and practiced for THOUSANDS of years in Asia. Get your facts straight. Acupuncture wasn’t discovered by a white guy in a white lab coat.
Yale
September 18, 2017 at 12:33 am
And dry needling is NOT *gd* acupuncture. Wow, you’re really uneducated on this.