What Is Pneumothorax?
Dry needling is actually great for athletes, O'Neill says, but it can help with all kinds of muscular pain and injuries. "Some injuries that tend to do quite well with dry needling include chronic upper trapezius strains, runner's knee and ITB syndrome, shoulder impingement, generalized low back pain, shin splints, and other muscle strains and spasms," she notes.
Dry needling causes soreness more so than pain. However, some individuals experience pain upon the insertion of the needle. Additionally, some areas of the body are more sensitive to needle insertion, and therefore may be more painful.
This way, he or she can evaluate the risks, specific to your case. Will dry needling hurt? As the muscle reacts to the needle, you may feel a little pain or discomfort. Trinh also describes a potential “electrical shock-type feeling” when it hits the trigger point.
Those with lymphedema or who are in their first trimester of pregnancy may not be ideal candidates either. Dry needling is not for those with unmanaged blood-clotting or immune-system disorders. Plus, the American Physical Therapy Association does not recommend dry needling for children younger than 12.
Although these occurrences are rare, acupuncturists occasionally pierce patients' lungs through the Jian Jing pressure point. About 30% of the cases of pneumothorax due to acupuncture are caused by the insertion of needles into that particular spot, according to a 2010 study by the WHO.
As performed by trained professionals on appropriate patients, trigger point dry needling using intercostal blocking is a safe and effective technique.
Although the incidence of pneumothorax is very low, it is an important diagnosis to consider for a patient presenting with dry cough, malaise, chest pain, or shortness of breath after a dry needling procedure. Patients should be made aware of these potential complications as part of an informed consent.
One risk associated with dry needling is accidental puncture of a lung (pneumothorax). If this were to occur, it may likely require a chest x-ray and no further treatment. The symptoms of shortness of breath may last from several days to weeks.
How common is pneumothorax after acupuncture? The true incidence is unknown. A study from Taiwan of 400,000 patients who underwent more than 5.4 million acupuncture treatments said the rate of pneumothorax was only 1.75 cases per 1 million patients receiving acupuncture in “at risk” areas of the body.
The top three minor AE's were bleeding, bruising, and pain during dry needling. In this study, bleeding was the most commonly reported minor AE with 3,288 reported, at a rate of 16.04%....Table 2.EventNumber ReportedPercentage per Total TreatmentsFeeling Faint1590.78%Headache1330.65%Nausea940.46%6 more rows
List Of Dry Needling Side EffectsTemporary Increase In Pain. This usually occurs with 24 to 48 hours following treatment and may resolve on its own or with gentle activity or stretching of the area or light massage.Bruising or Bleeding. ... Fainting. ... Fatigue And Tiredness. ... Skin Reactions. ... Pneumothorax.
Cyr said dry needling releases muscle tension, by causing tight muscles to twitch – or cramp – and then relax. “When you get the twitch response,” she said, “science has shown that will change the biochemical makeup of that trigger point to make it much less irritable.”
Pneumothorax is a very rare but serious complication associated with acupuncture and dry needling around the thoracic region. Dry needling is a technique where a solid, very fine needle is inserted into a soft tissue in the body.
A punctured lung involves air escaping from the lung into the space between it and the chest wall. The condition can cause the lung to collapse, which makes breathing a problem. For a person to understand how a punctured lung occurs, it helps to learn more about the anatomy of the lung.
Tension pneumothorax is accumulation of air in the pleural space under pressure, compressing the lungs and decreasing venous return to the heart.