Dry Needling During Pregnancy
There are, without a doubt, a ton of physical changes that occur in the body during pregnancy. Transformations that are absolutely necessary and wonderful in their own way, but could also contribute to an increase in pain.
Diagnoses like SI joint dysfunction, pubic symphysis pain, low back pain, hip pain, and sciatica are amongst the most common. As musculoskeletal experts, seeing a physical therapist should be the first line of treatment for all of these issues. During an assessment, your physical therapist could recommend dry needling as a way to achieve pain relief.
What is dry needling and what is it used for?
Dry needling is the application of a thin-filament needle into tissues for the management of pain and dysfunction in neuromusculoskeletal conditions. It is an effective way to modulate the central and peripheral nervous systems which ultimately decreases pain and improves tissue recovery.
This can serve as a powerful intervention for pain relief and neuromuscular reset to allow for better activity and load tolerance during the gestational period. Improving activity and load tolerance for the expecting mother has a multitude of benefits for both physical and mental wellness.
So what do we need to know about dry needling during pregnancy?
We approach treating these musculoskeletal injuries during pregnancy similar to someone who isn’t! A couple things to consider…
How many weeks gestation: we avoid dry needling in the first trimester simply as a precaution due to the higher rates of spontaneous miscarriage. There is no evidence to suggest that dry needling would contribute tot this but we err on the side of caution in the first 12 weeks!
Avoid needling to certain areas: this includes the pelvic floor musculature, the abdominal wall, and the thoracolumbar junction (area between the thoracic and lumbar spine). We are ultimately avoiding any area that innervates the uterus and areas that are close proximity to the fetus.
Otherwise, dry needling is appropriate for treating most musculoskeletal conditions, especially since many pharmacological options are contraindicated during pregnancy.
What do you do with the needles?
During treatment, the sterile needle is inserted into or alongside the intended muscle, nerve or connective tissue. It may or may not produce an involuntary twitch response. The PT may use electrical stimulation to the needles to influence the nervous system for both tissue recovery and performance. In general, the treatment is well-tolerated. It may leave some soreness over the next 24-48 hours but many also feel the simultaneous other benefits of pain relief.
This can be a great option for our pregnant population for the common aches and pains that are frequently experienced. Dry needling combined with appropriate exercise and education can be a gamechanger!
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