Do you suffer from knee pain that makes you dread stairs, walks, or simply getting out of a chair? You are not alone, in fact knee pain is one of the most common types of pain that we see in our Tallahassee Physiotherapy clinic. Yet with so many suffering from it, many suffer needlessly because they’ve been told either to rest, take painkillers, or just that it is an age thing and often many wait months or even years to do something about it. Most of the time we hope that we'll wake up and it will magically go away. Then when we do go see somebody, it is usually our family doctor who will tell us to rest even more and take even more pain medicine. Unfortunately both of these don't get at the causes of knee pain and often delay our recovery back to the active life we want and deserve. Usually while we're resting, which, by the way, is one of the worst things you can do for joint pain, your supporting muscles are getting weaker while your joint is not getting the lubrication it needs that happens when you are active. But, there's a catch.
Why exercise is often not enough to prevent debilitating knee pain when getting out of a chair, going up and down stairs, or when going for a walk.
Often when we are told to exercise for knee pain, we are usually given a sheet of exercises like kicking our knee straight and bending it while sitting in a chair. Maybe we'll be given a stretchy band exercise doing the same movements. The problem is that these exercises often don't treat the pain and also don't get at the root of the problem which is often that we have to improve the mobility of the knee, hip, or low back(often the true causes of knee pain) while reducing the pain BEFORE we get to any strengthening. And when we do get to the strengthening, we have to do exercises that fix the foundation of why we started to hurt in the first place.
But even before we do mobility for the knee, we have to make sure that our knee pain isn't pain from elsewhere in disguise(often coming from the back, hips or ankle).
What is Dry Needling and how can it help arthritis and bone on bone knees?
Dry needling is a treatment where Dry Needling certified Physiotherapists use acupuncture needles at specific points around the knee joint(usually where you feel the most pain or stiffness) to stimulate healing, reduce pain and stiffness, and decrease some of the most common causes of knee pain. It works through reducing some of the main drivers of pain especially sensitive nerves around the knee, tight tendons, ligaments, and fascia. If your pain is coming from elsewhere, we will often use the acupuncture needles to treat the foundational issues that are leading to more stress and pain at the knee. Schedule Free Dry Needling Consult with one of our Certified Doctors of Physiotherapy
Is it Safe
Yes, dry needling is used everyday and does not have the nasty side effects of opioids, doesn't weaken the knee joint like steroid shots, and often doesn't need to be done for years on end like injections. Often the only things somebody notices is some soreness from the muscles that were treated. We also supercharge out treatments by using electrical stimulation to your sore spots so you can feel improvement, often immediately.
Can I just have you do dry needling?
Dry needling works best when we do it with simple stretches and foundation fixing strength exercises that you can do with minimal equipment at home. At Body Mechanix, we teach you how to keep the healing going while you are in between treatments and is part of a natural and often pain free holistic plan of care to treat the whole you.
How do I know if it is right for me?
Find out if this is the right treatment option for you for absolutely free by scheduling a no-cost dry needling consultation with one of our dry needling certified Doctors of physiotherapy. These are in limited supply and are on a first come first served basis.
Do I need a prescription?
No, in Florida you do not need a prescription to start.
What if I have more questions?
Learn more about Dry Needling Here and schedule your free consultation with one of our Dry Needling Experts.
Confused about where to start? We got you covered! That’s why we offer free consultations to help you get to the root of why you are dealing with stiffness, pain, or just not performing the way you need to.
During one of our free consultations, the Total Body Diagnostic, we offer expert advice about the worry and frustration of life-changing aches and pains – for FREE, in under 30 minutes.
If this article describes your story and you are looking for some help with overcoming hip pain, we offer FREE consultations, which give you the opportunity to come in and meet us and see for yourself how we can help you.
Here are just a few of the things you will learn in one of our free consultation:
What is the underlying cause of your pain? (hopefully nothing too serious!)
Roughly, how long will it take to fix the problem?
What to do to help – which doesn’t include painkillers, resting or surgery etc.
What other, natural, drug free methods are there to speed up recovery alongside treatment?
Our consultations are great for anyone that may be “unsure” if physio is right for them, and they give you the opportunity to ask questions and see for yourself if we can help you.
If you’d like one of our limited free consultation sessions, please click here to request your Total Body Diagnostic or CALL us on 850-765-2779 to make a no-obligation enquiry.
About the Author
Dr. Brandon Alkire, DPT, CSCS, FMS, Cert. DN, Doctor of Physical Therapy and Strength Coach
Dr. Brandon is the owner and a Physio at Body Mechanix Physiotherapy and Fitness. Four of his favorite people call him daddy while he's been married to his other favorite person for 20 years. He enjoys teaching martial arts and is a Mestrando in Capoeira while in the mornings, he can be found working out with the guys in F3 around town. He's the author of 4 pain relief guides for sciatica, low back, shoulder, and knees and the lead contributor to the Active Tallahassee Blog.