At the core Dry Needling is a technique that is used in our office to reduce pain and relax muscles, but let’s dive into this a bit more!
Dry needling is a technique that is similar to acupuncture in the sense that you are using a small microfilament needle to release muscular tension and decrease pain. The biggest difference between the two techniques is not the skill but the intent in which the needles are placed. During dry needling, the practitioner is looking for trigger points (TrPs) or what are commonly referred to as knots in a muscle. These are normally associated with the area of pain and is where the needle will be placed. Commonly acupuncture will be following meridians in order to decide where to place the needles. One argument that can be made against the two is the difference in how deep the needles go into the body, but there is no evidence to support them being different.
As previously mentioned when dry needling is performed we are looking for these TrPs to place the needles into. The idea behind this is that the knot that has been created in a muscle or group of muscles where the pain needs to be released. By placing a needle into this area the muscle will relax post-treatment and provide pain relief.
Dry needling is a treatment that can be used for a wide range of painful symptoms or injuries. I have personally used it to treat anything from ankle sprains to headaches, and a wide range of different symptoms in between. The TrPs that have been talked about can refer pain to other areas of the body such as headaches, carpal tunnel sciatic-like pain, etc. Now while the person in pain does not have a true carpal tunnel or sciatica the pain being referred from these TrPs, in a specific muscle, will mimic the symptoms of these conditions. Headaches work in a very similar way where you can be having the headache from a muscular referral, which is usually either the upper trapezius or the sub occipitals, commonly both. Hamstring strains, sprained ankles, bicipital tendonitis, or any diagnosis involving a muscle, tendon, or ligament can be treated with dry needling. The list would become too long to write out everything that dry needling can treat but we did name a few here!
The most common question about dry needling is “will it be painful” and the answer is that it is usually a painless experience but that’s not always 100% true. Normally the only painful part of getting dry needling done is when the needle is placed in the muscle. Once it is inserted most people can’t even tell the needle is there unless they try to move. After a session, it is very common to be sore for a period or potentially the rest of the day. I normally describe it as similar to post-workout soreness. It is recommended the patient drink extra water and apply heat to any sore areas later that day.
Dry needling is one of my personal favorites and the most effective soft tissue technique I use in the office for treating musculoskeletal pain!