By: Maggie Gebhardt, PT, DPT, OCS, FAAOMPT For athletes eager to return to peak performance after injury, regaining muscle flexibility is a critical step—and dry needling is emerging as a highly effective tool in physical therapy to support that journey. At MEND Colorado, we integrate dry needling into personalized treatment plans to target tight muscles and myofascial trigger points...
Half of all individuals experience at least one headache a year and 15% of the population reports a headache on any given day. Headache causes are multifactorial but can be divided into groups such as cervicogenic (driven from the neck), migraine, and tension. Tension headaches remain the most commonly diagnosed headache sub group associated primarily...
By: Maggie Gebhardt, PT, DPT, OCS, FAAOMPT Myofascial pain can mean a lot of things, but in essence it is the painful condition that results from alterations in the muscle and fascial system of the body. Any area of the body can be affected, and it can manifest as muscle pain, referred pain, stiffness, and...
By: Maggie Gebhardt, PT, DPT, OCS, FAAOMPT As a new mom myself (I have an 18-month-old son), this topic/diagnosis has been on my mind recently. New parents place so many biomechanical demands on their bodies while we are assuming many different and awkward positions. These are often unaccustomed and repetitive or sustained positions, i.e. a...
By: Maggie Gebhardt, PT, DPT, OCS, FAAOMPT One of the most remarkable and distinct characteristics of trigger points is referred pain. Elimination of trigger points being one of the intents of dry needling. When looking at the referred pain patterns of easily accessible muscles you will find that many of them can refer and mimic...
By: Maggie Gebhardt, PT, DPT, OCS, FAAOMPT A less common source of knee pain and discomfort after knee surgery can be addressed with dry needling by a Physical Therapist. In this case, a patient who is post knee arthroscopy and progressing well can still having medial (inner) knee discomfort towards the end of their plan-of-care....
Shoulder pain is one of the most common reasons patients seek care from their primary care physician and Physical Therapist. The most common shoulder diagnosis among these patients is impingement. This diagnosis occurs when soft tissue structures in the shoulder, such as the rotator cuff, are compressed between the bones of the shoulder. Although a...
Headaches are one of the most common reasons patients seek care by a Physical Therapist. In our Boulder Physical Therapy and Lafayette Physical Therapy practices we have found optimal outcomes and fewer visits for treating many headaches types including cervicogenic headaches. These headaches are driven from the neck (cervical spine) and cause pain referral to...
Waking up with a stiff neck or struggling through the day with persistent neck pain can be incredibly frustrating, not to mention disruptive to your daily schedule. If you can’t even turn your head without wincing in pain, even simple tasks like driving to the grocery store become monumental hurdles. Naturally, the best way to...
Dry needling treatments performed by Physical Therapists have gained in popularity among both clinicians and patients with low back pain. The treatment is designed to reduce pain and restore muscle function. Inserting small, monofilament needs into trigger points within painful muscle groups can lead to immediate changes in pain and movement. While the mechanism of...