Each treatment is a case-by-case approach, meaning that the combination and frequency of the interventions offered changes from patient-to-patient and condition-to-condition.

Considering the natural healing process is also an important factor.

At Form, we aim to inform our patients on what has worked for people in the past in terms of treatment dosage, to give them a rough guide.

This fluid approach is also informed by the patient’s goals and ability to continue with treatment, as well as practitioners recommendations and experience.

For example, an acute joint sprain in the neck will often resolve in 2 - 3 treatments. Siatica can take several weeks or months to resolve, and may need ongoing treatment. The number of treatments will depend on the severity of the symptoms.

Dry needling engages the part of our brain involved in emotional responses (limbic system) and a part of our nervous system involved in controlling pain (descending inhibitory pathway).

Studies show that dry needling not only reduces nociceptive input from the treated trigger points, but reduces overall widespread pain and sensitivity.

One effect of dry needling is that it causes a local twitch response. A local twitch response is an involuntary contraction of the muscle driven by a spinal cord reflex that the dry needling prompts.

Triggering the local twitch response reduces the concentration of nociceptive substances in the chemical environment near the myofascial trigger point.

Also, the localised stretching of the muscle architecture allows the muscle cells to return to their normal resting length.

They are placed in myofascial trigger points - a a hyper-irritable contraction knot - present within a taut band of muscle fibre.

Usually, these knots are large enough to feel with your own fingertips. 

High velocity, low amplitude manoeuvres (joint manipulation) helps to improve the scope of movement in the joint, stretching the soft tissue.

It also helps to reduce pain by stimulating mechanoreceptors (sensory fibres that respond to mechanical pressure).

Sometimes there are underlying pathologies from past injuries that might not always be symptomatic. Once certain stressors are placed on the body, it may elicit pain or symptoms at these sites.

Repetitive activities we participate in, or positions or postures we hold, may lead to stress in certain areas, resulting in pain.

Pain is processed through various sites in our brain, one of which involves memory, meaning that pain can be related to past experiences.