What is Dry Needling?

Dry needling is a skilled technique performed by trained healthcare professionals that involves inserting thin, solid filament needles into muscles, tendons, ligaments, and nervous tissues throughout the body. Unlike acupuncture, which is based on traditional Chinese medicine and focuses on energy pathways (meridians), dry needling targets specific myofascial trigger points, which are taut bands within muscles that can cause local or referred pain, as well as neuromuscular dysfunction.

It's often used in conjunction with other therapeutic interventions, including spinal and extremity joint manipulations, soft tissue therapies, exercise, and patient education.

Potential benefits of dry needling include:

• Pain Relief: By targeting trigger points, dry needling can help reduce muscle pain, stiffness, and soreness. This can be beneficial for a wide variety of musculoskeletal conditions.

• Improved Muscle Function: Releasing trigger points can help restore normal muscle tone and length, leading to improved flexibility and range of motion.

• Reduced Muscle Spasms: Dry needling can help alleviate muscle spasms and cramping.

• Faster Recovery: By improving blood flow and reducing inflammation in the treated tissues, dry needling may help speed up the recovery process from injury.

• Headache Relief: Some individuals find dry needling helpful in reducing the frequency and intensity of certain types of headaches, such as tension and cervicogenic headaches.

• Management of Chronic Pain Conditions: Dry needling can be a component of a comprehensive treatment plan for chronic pain conditions like fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis (OA).