What is Dry Needling?
Dry Needling (DN) is an effective treatment for acute and chronic pain. It can promote healing after injury and improves a patient’s ability to move with less pain. DN is a therapeutic treatment that involves inserting a very thin filament needle into a “trigger point” or muscle spasm that refers pain to a specific area of the body.
It is a common misconception that dry needling is like acupuncture. Although the tool we use is similar in that it is a very thin needle, our evaluation process, treatment, and goals of the technique are very different from acupuncture. Our therapists will evaluate your neuromuscular system (nerves and muscles) and treat specific muscle tissue with the overall goal of improving movement. Our physical therapists will fully evaluate the function of your neuromuscular system to determine what tissues are contributing to your painful limitations and apply the dry needling techniques to improve healing, decrease pain and increase your ability to perform activities without limitations.
Benefits of Dry Needling
DN treatment of active trigger points improves healing time and reduces pain by:
- Increasing blood flow to the muscle tissue
- Improving muscle’s ability to stretch/relax with movement
- Decreasing tension in the muscles to help reduce pain and strain
- Deactivating painful trigger points
- Improve the brain’s ability to activate muscles, inhibit pain, and improve function.
Common Diagnoses
Muscular spasms and trigger points are common following an injury or degenerative process and can compress nerves and surrounding tissues. Introducing a dry needle into these active trigger points can provide immediate and significant relief of symptoms.
Increased nerve compression can lead to irritation of the nerves and joints causing commonly treated conditions such as:
- Carpal tunnel
- Tennis elbow
- Rotator cuff injuries
- Tendonitis and muscle strain
- Sciatica
- Neck pain and tension headaches
- Piriformis syndrome
- Plantar fasciitis
- Chronic pain
- Fibromyalgia