I highly recommend that Physical Therapists continue to utilize trigger point dry needling (TPDN) as a safe and effective intervention to address painful trigger points as I significanlty benefited from this treatment. I struggled with chronic and moderate muscle pain in my piriformis for about a year and a half, definitely due to significant trigger point activity. I tried physical therapy (ther ex, manual trigger point release and soft tissue mobilization and modailties) for several months and with consistency, but my s/s only improved by about 25%, which I felt was not a great outcome. I additionally tried almost every other conservative treatment available (with surgery not even being an option), and still hardly anything changed. I knew about TPDN, but hesistated to try it as I was afraid of failing another attempt at taking care of myself (which in restropect, what a ridiculous thought!). The pain I was having significantly impacted my quality of life, and I was even told by one orthopedic doctor that there was nothing that could be done since I exhausted most of my options to address the pain. I felt like I was stuck with my pain, and being only 26 years old, that was devastating to accept.

After my pain started to worsen at the nearly one and a half year mark, I set my fears aside and gave TPDN a chance. After only two treatments, my pain was absolutely abolished! ABOLISHED! I have been pain free for 2 months now, and my only regret is that I wish I had tried it sooner. I am beyond grateful for the skilled hands of my Physical Therapist who worked very hard to succeed in becoming certafied in this intervention, which ultimately allowed him to treat my s/s in a very safe and effective manner. My therapist describes the needlies utilized in the treatment as "extensions of my fingers" to really target and address very guarded and painful muscles - and I completely agree with this simple explanation! TPDN is simply an additional tool to expand manual techniques that Physical Therapists do every day. Instead of exhausting fingers, elbows, tennis balls, thercanes (you name it) to address trigger points, the needles just help out. It does not claim to have the same effect as accupuncture, which I understand is the fine line here. If my therapist was not able to utilize this treatment anymore, I would be devastated as it was my only saving grace. TPDN definitely needs to remain as an intervention for Physical Therapists to use safely and effectively to treat patients with great success!