What is dry needling?
Dry needling is a procedure where a physical therapist inserts a fine needle into what is known as a trigger point. A trigger point is a tender palpable nodule in muscle that can cause pain locally or referred to other parts of the body. The term dry is used to describe the insertion of a needle without any medication.
What causes trigger points?
There are many potential causes but commonly trigger points are caused by overload of a weak muscle or prolonged muscle contraction such as with maintaining posture. These causes can turn into a self-sustaining cycle if not addressed.
How does dry needling help?
- Creation of a Local Twitch Response which is a spinal cord reflex in response to the insertion of the dry needle
- Decrease in inflammatory and pain causing chemicals
- Improvement in circulation
- Activation of pain relieving processes in the central nervous system
What areas of the body can dry needling be performed?
Dry needling can be performed throughout most of the body with our most commonly treated areas including the shoulder, neck, low back, and hip/glutes. Our therapists have extensive training in dry needling and are able to competently and safely perform dry needling on your area of pain or dysfunction.
How often is dry needling performed?
The typical trajectory is to dry needle more often early on with visits becoming spaced out over time as self-care techniques and exercise are implemented to create lasting changes.
Call us today to find out more information or to schedule an initial evaluation!
