C|C Dry Needling & Physical Therapy 

The Ultimate Posture Reset

Cristi Cuellar, PT, ICDN

Cristi has evolved into Austin’s “Holistic” Physical Therapist over the last 15 years, and loves the title. Cristi is passionate about healing through conscious movement and teaching people how cutivate more energy to enjoy their lives.  Cristi takes pride in providing high quality, one-on-one care, facilitating trust and accountability. .

Dry Needling: Getting to the Point of Pain 

Cristi specializes in dry needling, a highly sought after manual technique  acquired by skilled  Physical Therapists.  This special treatment uses thin filiform needles (acupuncture needles) to reduce muscle spasms, increase joint mobility, and improved athletic performance. Cristi loves using this technique, as it is an alternative to pain medication . 

Conditions that benefit from  dry needling: 

• Sprain/ Strain injuries : hamstring, calve, upper trapezius, ankle sprains, lower back, and other sport injuries

• Postural pain:  back tension,  neck and shoulder tension from sitting too long, or over-working

• Tendinitis: ITBand  syndrome, tennis elbow, golfers elbow, rotator cuff tendinitis, plantar fasciitis, patellar tendinitis, Achilles tendinitis

• Chronic pain conditions: fibromyalgia,  headaches, arthritis, TMJ

• Nerve Entrapment syndromes: thoracic outlet syndrome, carpal tunnel syndrome, sciatica, piriformis syndrome 

• Muscle weakness/atrophy from surgery: quadricep weakness, shoulder weakness, lower leg weakness 

Cristi’s 3 theories that can help you consider whether dry needling is a treatment option for you: 

1. When you address trigger points, you can improve physical function.  There are two types of trigger points. Active ones are painful to the touch, and cause the body to compensate with other muscles, which may increase injury to joints (shoulder, neck, back, hip) . Latent trigger points may not be causing pain yet, but could be on their way to becoming a problem. Dry needling treatments first address the active points, and needles are strategically placed to alleviate them. The goal is to “reset” the muscle to stretch and contract at its highest potential. 

2. It is  necessary to address above and below the area of pain. All muscles are covered by fascia, a thin connective tissue that sometimes builds up scar tissue when damaged by injury.  Think about how tight hamstrings and calves could cause lower back pain, or how hunched over posture and cause pain going down one’s arm. Everything is connected!  Additionally, through these series of myofascial chains, fascia can transmit, redirect, and/or dampen force throughout the body. While the muscles are the drivers, fascia appropriately directs these forces throughout the body.

3. Dry needling is part of the larger treatment plan. Unlike massage, acupuncture or medicated injections from a doctor, dry needling is  only part of a multi-technique physical therapy plan that may also include movement analysis, targeted exercises, and other interventions. Most patients want to get back to playing a sport. Dry needling helps improve muscle function, and the Cristi helps patients by teaching proper biomechanics and sport specific movements 

 For more information click here www.ccdryneedling.com