We’ve been talking with ARC Physical Therapy+ patients who have experienced significant healing and improved recovery thanks to dry needling. To learn more about the basics of dry needling, read our recent overview here. We recently featured stories about how dry needling provided Greg with immediate relief and how dry needling “was a game changer” for Donald.
Today, we talk with Beverly about how dry needling has helped her manage her new normal of living with chronic pain.
“Just go for it”
Beverly Lentz had her first knee surgery, a total knee replacement in 2016 and started physical therapy with Jason Herold, DPT, in Independence shortly after. Although Beverly closely followed her home exercise program and continued her work with Jason, she still struggled with pain.
After extensive follow-up with her medical team, Beverly was finally diagnosed with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS). She continued therapy at ARC Physical Therapy+ for pain management, and Jason recommended she try dry needling as a complement to the work they were doing together.
Beverly began dry needling with Diana Dickey, DPT, in early 2018, and has used both physical therapy and dry needling to help with her stability, recovery from multiple surgeries and ongoing pain management.
“The longest pain relief I have felt since the surgery was because of dry needling, I came in with a pain level of 6, and by the time Diana was done, I was at 0. It doesn’t always happen like that, but it can happen that quickly. Sometimes I feel relief before I leave the clinic, but sometimes it takes a few hours.”
As someone living with chronic pain, Beverly is constantly learning the new normal of her body. She is actively involved in tracking pain levels, hours of pain relief, daily activities and the level of instability in her knee.
“With the injuries I have had, we are learning that my body doesn’t always respond the same way as other people’s do, but Diana and Jason have been great advocates to help me get on the right path for treatment and management,” Beverly said. “Over time, we have learned how my body is responding to the needling, which allows us to be smarter with treatment.”
Working together with Diana, Beverly has decreased her sensitization and found hours or even days of pain relief through dry needling.
“For a long time, I laid in bed at night and couldn’t even have the sheets touching my knee,” Beverly said. “Dry needling helped resolve that quickly. When my pain becomes really bad, I can call Diana to come in more often, maybe two times a week, until my pain and sensitivity are better.”
Beverly has found dry needling to be relaxing in addition to being effective for pain management.
“It helps me relax as well”
“Dry needling is not even like getting a shot,” she said. “It’s such a skinny needle you don’t feel it at all. I was more afraid with acupuncture because I hadn’t had it done before, but while it was relaxing, it did not alleviate my pain. Dry needling does alleviate pain, and now that I know what to expect, it helps me relax as well.”
Beverly has become an advocate for dry needling in conjunction with other therapies for holistic treatment of pain and injuries, saying she needs an ARC Physical Therapy+ t-shirt to advertise to others how pleased she is with her results.
“If you’re on the fence about dry needling, just go for it,” she said. “Dry needling won’t fix everything, but it won’t put you in a worse situation, and it may even help you find pain relief.”
Ready to Try Dry Needling?
Contact ARC Physical Therapy+ at 844-755-4272 or info@arcpt.com to learn more or schedule your Dry Needling appointment.
