What in the world is dry needling?
Dry Needling
Dry needling is an effective treatment for a variety of conditions, including headaches, back pain, post surgical recovery, and even sports injuries. It's also a great option for people with chronic or acute muscle pain who haven't found relief from other treatments such as physical therapy or massage therapy. The process involves inserting tiny needles into tight muscles to relieve tension and help promote healing. The entire treatment takes about 15 minutes and should be repeated 3-4 times over the course of several weeks depending on your individual needs.
What is Dry Needling?
Dry needling is a treatment that works with tight muscles. It is not acupuncture and it is not the same as trigger point injections. The needles are thinner and shorter than acupuncture needles, they are sterile and single use, inserted into the muscle. Dry needling can be used to treat many different musculoskeletal conditions such as:
Muscle tightness (e.g., in athletes)
Facet joint pain
Back pain
Dry needling has also been shown to be effective for chronic headaches (such as migraines), neck pain, shoulder pain, sciatica and plantar fasciitis among other common musculoskeletal complaints.
How does dry needling work?
Dry needling is a form of acupuncture that uses thin needles to stimulate nerves and muscles. It helps improve the function of your body's nervous system, which can reduce pain and muscle tightness. It often works quickly, is non-invasive, and can be used for chronic pain.
Dry needling might work because it:
stimulates nerve endings in your skin or muscles to help you feel less pain
relaxes tense muscles so they don't contract as much when injured
increases blood flow to the area where you have pain
When is Dry Needling used?
Dry needling is most commonly used to treat muscle tightness, muscle spasms and pain, injury rehabilitation, and weakness.
Muscle tightness is a common problem that causes discomfort and decreased range of motion. Dry needling helps break up the adhesions within a muscle that cause it to be rigid or stiff. When muscles are treated with dry needling, they become less tense due to the reduction of scar tissue caused by the treatment. The benefits of this include increased mobility and relief from pain caused by restricted movement.
Muscle spasms occur when a muscle contracts involuntarily (either momentarily or continuously), causing pain and stiffness in surrounding areas if left untreated. Dry needling can help relieve these symptoms by releasing trigger points within your body which cause these spasms to occur by stimulating nerve endings where they attach onto muscles throughout your body. Trigger points also tend to go hand-in-hand with tension; however they do not always show up as tender spots on an MRI scan because they're beneath deeper layers or multiple layers of skin (rather than just under one layer like many other issues). Treatment involves applying pressure directly into these trigger points until you feel them release - allowing blood flow back into those areas which may have been constricted for too long!
Dry Needling has also been proven effective for treating injuries who aren't recovering properly due to inflammation present around injured tissue sites."
Who can perform it?
Dry needling is a technique that can be used by any of these practitioners to treat pain, trigger points and muscle imbalances. However, depending on the area being treated and whether there is a diagnosis of myofascial pain syndrome (MPS), some practitioners may prefer to refer out for treatment.
In general:
chiropractors have extensive training on musculoskeletal issues including low back pain; they also specialize in diagnosis and treatment of MPS;
physiotherapists are trained in dry needling and can provide treatments for acute and chronic pain as well as MPS;
massage therapists may also be trained in dry needling; however, their scope of practice may vary from province to province;
osteopaths are trained specifically on how the body moves together — how muscles interact with one another — when treating musculoskeletal issues such as lower back pain or sciatica associated with MPS dysfunction;
Dry needling is a treatment that works with tight muscles.
When you think of dry needling, you may be picturing a needle being inserted into your skin. This is because the technique is called “dry” needling. But don’t let the name fool you: It may sound painful, but it’s actually a safe alternative to injections and medications that can help with post surgical recovery, muscle tightness and overall muscle function.
Dry needling is done by an experienced clinician who has been trained to locate specific points on muscles known as trigger points. These areas are akin to knots or trigger points in our muscles that cause pain and discomfort when pressed upon by the needle during treatment. Once located, dry-needled areas will often release tension immediately following treatment—a result of stimulating the release of endorphins (natural painkillers) from within our bodies.
Conclusion
We are excited about this new treatment and the potential it has to improve your quality of life. It’s important to remember that dry needling is not a substitute for conventional therapy but rather an addition that can be used alongside other treatments. If you suffer from chronic pain or muscle tightness, then dry needling could be right for you!
