What is Dry Needling?

Physical therapists use thin, stainless steel needles and insert them into the tissues to relieve pain and tightness by improving blood flow to the inflamed muscles, and decrease local and referred pain. The needles are similar to the ones used in acupuncture. No medication is used. The needle itself relaxes the affected muscles when it comes in contact with the tender areas, hence the name "dry needling." Stimulating a trigger point with a needle helps release tension by drawing normal blood supply back to the area. This technique is used mostly when other techniques have not shown significant improvement in pain relief and gain in the range of motion. Some people find immediate relief while others need a few treatments to notice progress.

Dry needling vs. Acupuncture. What's the difference?

Dry needling is often widely misunderstood by patients who compare the procedure to acupuncture.

Fine filament needles are inserted into the body when using both methods. However, the main difference is that dry needling is based on the human anatomy and neurophysiological principles, while traditional acupuncture is based on channel theory and traditional Chinese medicine.

What are the benefits of dry needling?

Dry needling is a great way to increase your overall range of motion and carry out daily tasks with more ease. Dry needling treatments can help patients:

• Get fast pain relief
• Regain range of motion
• Accelerate recovery
• Improve chronic pain conditions
• Improve fibromyalgia, which is characterized by fatigue, sleeping problems, and mental distress

What should I expect?

Although it may sound intimidating, dry-needling is a safe and effective way to relieve your pain when carried out by our experienced, certified therapists.

Dry needling is often used as part of a larger treatment plan. Often, individuals do not feel the needles penetrating their skin, but they will feel the muscles twitching when a myofascial trigger point is reached. At Dynamic, you can expect to have our therapists: 

• Apply pressure to the skin to test the effectiveness, duration, and prognosis for carrying out dry needling.
• Use single-use, disposable, sterile needles to alleviate your trigger points
• Use the in-and-out technique, where the needle is quickly moved up and down through the tissue
• Ask you if you are feeling a heavy, dull pain (a sign that muscle tightness is being released)
• Depending on your condition, needles may be left in your arm for twenty seconds to as long as fifteen minutes

At Dynamic, we believe that therapy is the most efficient way to return to what you love to do. Schedule an appointment today to get started.

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