Dry Needling

[clarerita]

I'm currently going for pelvic floor therapy - I'm in my 3rd month (14 sessions). My therapist wants to try dry kneedling. I would be her first patient doing it. She just recently had some training with this. My husband thinks it's best to wait until she has done more work with this technique.

As a result of hysterectomy surgery in March 2019, I have scar tissue around the pudendal nerve. I have a gynecologist appointment on Dec. 16, 2020 to get a proper diagnosis because i have been to so many gynecologists, neurologists and a pain care management doctor. They say it can very well be caused by something gone wrong during the surgery, however, no one seems to know how to treat this. My current physical therapist is trying different manual therapies, but I still have the same burning. The burning is worse when sitting or standing too long. I also get the burning in my feet.

I would appreciate any feedback or your use of this method
Thanks,
Dorothy

[jaxi123]

I would NOT want to be her first patient for dry needling. Ni had it and I thought it was horrible

[clarerita]

Thank you for your feedback. I feel the same way. Let her work on other patients before thinking of me first. She seemed very anxious to give this a try. I know she cares and wants to help me, but I need to talk and share more about this. I want to hear what the gynecologist has to say when I see her next week also and to get a proper diagnosis.

[sadie]

Clarerita
Hope u found a PT to do dry needling and hope U post if it helped. I realize your post is from 2020.
I am posting here for u n anyone searching dry needling . I found a physical therapist with a doctorate in PT that is treating me now with dryneedling...she has done more patients then
she could count and has been doing it for years......and I would not go to her with out that back ground...especially when Medicare will not pay n it is out of pocket.

PT B4 PN by a PT never did anything for me . After getting PN I decided to ask for one with a doctorate n it paid off on day one. The Dr I selected knew what central sensitization CS was and had just taken a class in it and that was what I was seeing a pt for to begin with . I had gotten CS from laying in bed with pn , over medicated on benzos for years which caused authritis and
CS and allodynia .

I believe CS was also caused because the benzos damaged the GABA in the central nervous system allowing for nerve cross talk. That being said , with a complex diagnosis like PN one may benefit from pt's w doctorates who really understand the complexity of nerves. Mine helped with my back but has not had a chance to pursue dry needling because of pregnancy so I found a second PT w a doctorate
who had years of dryneedling experiences. I have had two treatments and already I feel a huge difference on the left shoulder blade which had a crawling creepy touching feeling that could turn to pain . I was shocked at the results,, and go back again next week. The treatments can hurt but it is worth it. The treatments only take about 20 min or less depending on the area. If this works we will move to the femoral nerve that can experience a sexual pressure that I never had b4 I had PN. I will come back n post in a few weeks . I never had much faith in pt until the first dr did only massage, mifacial release and literally put repetitive presure on my spine to maneuver it back in place n relieved 80 % of my spine pain . And now this second Dr ( PT) has cut my pain patch use in half or more by second treatment and my hope is will completely eliminate the shoulder blade alodynia buy the fourth treatment . SO maybe finding a good pt that has advanced training via a Dr degree to match the complexity of our diagnosis and give him/ her a shot. I am now a pt convert .lol I think dry needing needs to be covered by Medicare... Good luck and God bless to all ...Sadie

[jaxi123]

This treatment did not work for me at all. Made other areas start hurting that didn’t hurt before very

[pjwashington]

I have a PT who has a Doctorate and is the best PT I’ve ever had. I have had everything possible done for my PN but what works best has been the dry needling. It can certainly hurt because it is nerve damage that we are trying to fix. My Pudendal Neuralgia started 47 years ago with botched birth of my son but wasn’t diagnosed until 4 years ago. You will want someone who has experience with dry needling with electrodes though. It can be a challenge to get the needle in the right place when nerves aren’t always where they should be. I have had numerous places on my body done which facilitates the untangling of nerves to brain messages and easing pain. It can feel like bee stings or cannonballs being shot through your body or tiny little pricks or just some thumping of muscles. I am amazed every time when I get off the table and feel so much stronger and pain is gone or minimized. It may only last a few days or 2 weeks as I have significant damage through my whole body but a few years ago I could barely walk and I’m becoming super woman. Please try it. Your PT can bill Medicare for therapy to retrain muscles or messages from muscles to brain. Dry needling could be done out of the goodness of her heart if you are fortunate. You have to have a physical therapist who not only is qualified in pelvic floor therapy but has actually heard of pudendal neuralgia. None of my therapists over 25 years had heard of pudendal neuralgia until my current PT-and they were all pelvic floor specialists. I highly recommend dry needling even if you have to pay out of pocket. It has given me back my life.

[Violet M]

Hi PJ,

Wow, superwoman! You are amazing to have survived that long with pudendal neuralgia. It's great to hear that dry needling is helping you. Thanks for the update on how you are doing.

It's incredible that there are pelvic floor therapists who haven't heard of pudendal neuralgia. It's really sad.

Violet