Connect
Dry needling for post-ACDF hand/arm pain and numbness
I started a new PT yesterday to try and get some relief from my continuing arm/hand pain and numbness, which my C3-C6 ACDF surgery has not fixed. In fact it is a little worse now. (I have explained this in more detail in other posts).
My current PT has suggested dry needling and my surgeon said "go for it", albeit with the caveat that it might not help.
People who push dry needling are very concerned to indicate that it is a "Western" medicine technique and to differentiate it from acupuncture.
But as far as I can tell, it is related to "trigger points" in the muscle (or fascia) similar to what is promoted by myo-fascial release therapy.
In any event, I still do not see how addressing trigger points would help my constant nerve pain and numbness. Shouldn't there be a specific diagnosis that can be pointed to, e.g. "your pre- and post-surgery nerve issues are related to factor X, which dry needling with correct, or at least address".
I do not see this type of direct cause-effect in any of the discussions of dry needling I have read so far.
Finally, I would love to get relief, even if there is no clear cause, but I am skeptical about people promoting something that I cannot understand.
Thanks,
Mitch
Like
Helpful
HugInterested in more discussions like this? Go to the Spine Health Support Group.
Connect
Here are a couple of thoughts. TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation) has more to do with stimulating the reconnecting of effected nerves, not what I think you've described. Sounds more like you are experiencing muscle atrophy like what I'm recovering from. NMES (Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation) it's the process to rebuild muscles that you've not used for awhile, like being in a cast or trauma induced inactivity. Most NMES have both Symmetrical and A-Symmitrical wave settings. The Symmetrical setting should be used for larger muscles (legs, abdomen, etc) and the A-Symmetrical setting for the smaller muscles (arms, feet, etc). The placement of the positive (red) and negative (black) leads relative to the heart are specific when needing the A-Symmetric setting (smaller muscles), the negative (black) should be closer to the heart than the positive (red) leads. To get the most out of the machine you should pre-wash the area where the leads will be placed with water only (soap or chemicals will destroy the adhesive on the back of the lead patch). I purchased a NMES A-Symmeteric unit for about $150 and use it most days resulting in regaining most of the strength I lost in my accident. Don't forget to add in the more traditional weight build equipment (hand squeezer, dumbells, etc) to get a more balanced approach. I just pick a program on the unit hit "go" and the program does the rest. All of this info you can get on the web if you dig a little.
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
1 Reaction@seidholz I had ACDF surgery for a C4-C7 disk compression in Oct 2025. The OT therapist called it "Drop Wrist", I couldn't hold up a cup of coffee. One of the treatments she started was with a NEMS (theirs was a combo TENS/NMES machine) to stimulate the forearm muscles that controls the wrist. I've commented on the process earlier. Along with a "Wrist Ball" and other help aids my holding & using the wrist in the "Neutral Position" has improved a lot. I've always known that therapy wasn't going to finish the job so I have purchased most help aids including the 2 I just talked about to continue my healing. Nerve pain is also a byproduct of my accident mostly in the thumbs and index fingers. I was prescribed Gabapentin to help with the pain but knew that I needed to get off the drug as soon as possible. I've found that CBD cream has don
@steve161 sorry---done a good job of relieving the pain.