Anyone here know anything about dry needling being used to relieve spasticity? Any experience?

I'm considering it for the spasticity in my back since those muscles are chronically tight. I can get it at my PT office & have consulted with the practioner. But haven't gone further that that as of yet.
I am interested in hearing other people's experiences as well.

I had called the PT place that the doctor told me to call, since I have a Rx for it, and I got a call back today that they don't take my insurance...

So, I called the other PT place that I used to go to several years ago until they moved about 12 miles to the west of me. I knew they did dry needling because they were just starting to do that back the last time I used their PT. Well, they don't take my insurance either.

So, now I'm going to call the doctor back, and find out if there's anywhere else in Omaha that I can go to.

My aunt (the nurse practitioner) told me to check and see how much it would be to do it out of pocket, she said it might not be much different than using insurance.

It's just depressing the <bleep! swear word! bleep!> out of me. Every time I need to do something big that requires insurance, I end up having to skip the whole thing because the insurance won't pay because it's not accepted at the place, and I can't afford it.


The doctor told me this would be one of the best ways to deal with this pain in my neck, and then I might be able to try it in other areas the spasticity is being annoying. (my left leg). Told me that if I don't get the neck pain treated, it'll never get better. But, now I'm stuck having to deal with the stupid insurance company not paying. Every time something like this happens, it makes me more and more angry about the whole 0bamacare thing. (not trying to start a political discussion. I'm just venting)

My neck hurts, and I want it to stop hurting, and no one will let me do anything about it.

I wouldn't have any luck with insurance paying for dry needling either, as they would consider it acupuncture and therefore not covered . Right now my acupuncturist is my ancient cat... he does a great job of it really knows which nerves to strike with a claw, but he's been slacking off here of late and might be going in for the big sleep soon. He's earned it after 17 years of acupuncturist duties along side heating pad, massage and rodent catching extrodinaire. His replacement however is just a heating pad that weighs about 20lbs.

But acupuncture still hasn't been widely accepted as "medical" treatment. My insurance doesn't even cover chiropractors, or vitamins (rx dosage ones) It sort of covers PT but it will only cover 20 sessions a year and it only covers 50% after I have paid $500 out of pocket first and the first sessions paid for to meet up with the $500 counts as part of those 20 sessions a year. So say it costs $100 a session, I have to pay the full hundred for the first 5 sessions then the insurance will kick in $50 for only 15 more sessions for the year.

So in addition to PT just not working for me and really just making things worse, I have given up especially when my insurance is crap for covering it. It does cover other things really well, which is why I went with the plan I chose, but really I didn't see any plans out there that covered PT well at all.

Have you considered maybe seeing if a pain management doctor might be able to administer the treatment? If your insurance covers acupuncture of course, but it wouldn't necessarily have to be done by a physical therapist, some pain management doctors are able to do it as well. Might be worth a shot...

I asked, and it was the insurance that they didn't accept at all. I could have asked to go there for regular PT, and they wouldn't have accepted it for that either.

Talked to the first place today, and they gave me prices for the dry needling if I pay out of pocket. I talked to my dad about it, and he said he'd pay for 6 sessions ($500/6 sessions). The physiatrist seemed to think it would work, and he told me that if I didn't get it treated that it would never get better. So, I'm going to try it.

Hoping that it works, because I'm tired of my neck hurting. If it helps my neck, I'm going to see if they can use it on other areas. I have some really annoying spasticity in my left leg. Seems like everything else I ever try for making myself feel any better at all never seems to work. So, $500 for 6 sessions. I guess I didn't need that new iPad Mini that I wanted to get for my birthday.

You have an amazing father, I really hope that it does work for you. I don't have any experience myself with it, but my uncle was in several car accidents (getting rear ended) and ended up with back and neck problems. I remembered him talking about getting acupuncture so I called him up to find out how it went for him.

He says they lie when they say you don't feel the needles (he's also extremely fearful of needles)

It did help a lot but isn't a cure all, you'll still have to go back on occasion for maintanence.

It really does depend upon the type of injury and what is setting off the pain, stiffness and/or spasisity. He's recently retired from an education physiotherapist (he worked with handicapped children at the schools, everything from learning how to manage autism to new prostetics).

If the signal is coming from a misfiring in the brain, or unhealed injury that is interfering with the nerves... it won't work, but you should be able to tell after your first session. If there is absolutely no signs of any sort of improvement after the first (in the next following couple of days), it is not going to work, there is something else going on that is not just a bunch of angry nerves.

So he strongly recommends that anyone going in for such a procedure, does their own research on what exactly it is and what can be expected from it. There is nothing worse than wasting your time and money without knowing what it is that any treatment is supposed to do for you and it failing to meet "your expectations" or wasting the time and money when it really is failing to meet "expectations". Likewise ask the person doing the procedure what "their expectations" are. So long as everyone is meeting somewhere in the middle you're alright.... if anyone is way out in left field it's time to rein them in.



Now my uncle is such a scaredy cat about needles, that I wasn't able to ask him if you couldn't just get some body piercings done after the fact to act as your acupuncture points. I mean I can stop my ears from ringing by tugging on the upper lobe, if I put on an ear cuff I can go all day long without my ears ringing so long as I don't have an inner ear infection. I did get it pierced at one point but had the wrong earrings in (kind of a DIY piercing) so they closed up... but while they were pierced I didn't have any ringing in the ears. But hey, less pain and trendy

I have had good results for my other health issues with acupuncture (headaches, insomnia, heart burn and some others), but I go to 'community ' acupuncture. This is a much cheaper alternative to traditional acupuncture.

My place has one big, dimly lit room that has 5 recliners spread amongst it. There is soothing background music & water sound playing in the background . It is very relaxing. You take your shoes & socks off and roll your pants to your knees and pull sleeves up to your elbows. He places needles on my head, ears, arms hands , legs, behind knees & on feet. If I can 'feel' any pricking sensation after he places it, he'll take it out and then will go to a different spot. My sessions cost $20 each or 3 for $50 if I prepay.

We haven't had success with the spasticity in my back yet, hence my consideration of dry needling.

The cost per session will be $25 and the PT estimates that it shouldn't take more than 3-4 sessions to get long term relief. We have all agreed that acupuncture should be able to maintain that relief.

I'll be interested to hear how it works for you Erin ;-)