What is it?

Dry Needling is a musculoskeletal treatment in which a small, solid, filament needle is placed within a bodily connective tissue (muscle, fascia). It is a therapeutic procedure that is used by many healthcare providers, and one that has unique benefits for certain patients.

What is it used for?

The purpose of inserting the aforementioned needle(s) is to address several possible connective tissue problems or issues. Of these issues, the most notable is the “myofascial trigger point”.

A myofascial trigger point is a hyper-contracted and hyper-excitable section of tissue located within a specific muscle. This area of concern is often tight, and sensitive to the touch if pressed on with enough force. In layman’s terms, trigger points are often described as “knots” in muscles. A clinician trained in Dry Needling will attempt to hit the trigger point with a needle at the varying depths in which it may be located. Contacting the trigger point often elicits a local “twitch response”, in which the muscle in question contracts slightly as the area relaxes around the inserted needle. This process can help not only to release the “knots”, but also decrease pain in the area.

Another therapeutic benefit of Dry Needling is its effect on acute bouts of musculoskeletal inflammation. The micro-trauma created through inserting several needles into the inflamed area can help accelerate the healing process. This is perhaps most notable in the treatment of an acute lateral ankle sprain. Drastic differences can be seen from one treatment to the next in amount of swelling present in such an injury.

Dry Needling can also be incredibly powerful in the presence of chronic pain. Inserting needles into painful tissue has an analgesic (pain relieving) effect. This effect is due to a number of processes, but can be summed up to the activation of descending inhibitory pain pathways in the central nervous system (CNS). Additionally we can amplify this action by adding electrical stimulation to the inserted needles.

What regions or complaints is it often helpful for?

There are numerous conditions and ailments that Dry Needling can be used for. Here is a list of some of the more common ones:

• Low back pain

• Shoulder pain or tightness

• Hip pain or tightness

• Calf pain or tightness

• Plantar fasciitis

• Elbow tendinitis

• Knee pain

• Muscle strains

Is it different than acupuncture?

Dry Needling is a distinct and separate procedure from that of acupuncture. Acupuncture is based upon traditional Chinese Medicine and its system of meridians. Conversely, Dry Needling was developed in an attempt to treat specific musculoskeletal conditions, and is predicated entirely upon anatomy and western scientific processes. Another significant difference between the two therapeutic methods is the depth of needle insertion. In Dry Needling, needles are placed at the desired depth of the tissue to be treated. This means that some structures may take longer needles, sometimes up to three inches to reach the target tissue.

Is it used with electrical stimulation?

Often, Dry Needling therapy is combined with the use of electrical stimulation. Leads are placed upon the metal shaft of the needles thus allowing conduction of current between two adjacent needles in the body. Dry Needling in combination with electrical stimulation has been proven in several studies to be more effective than Dry Needling alone. The electrical stimulation can be adjusted to different frequencies and intensities depending upon the desired goal of treatment. For pain, higher frequencies are often used. For muscle re-education lower frequencies can be applied.

What should I expect during and after my Dry Needling treatment?

All patients have a unique experience with Dry Needling. For many, the procedure is relatively painless depending upon the region being worked on. The needles used are considerably smaller than what would be used for an injection or blood draw. Thus, very rarely will patients bleed after the needles are removed. After treatment, some residual soreness is possible and slight bruising can occur but is not common. If soreness is present it should alleviate within 24 hours, followed by an improvement in local tissue function or symptoms.