Dry needling is a tool that physical therapists use to treat pain and increase mobility. A minimally-invasive, drug-free technique, modern dry needling is based on Western neuroanatomy and modern scientific study of the muscles and nervous system. Paired with traditional physical therapy, dry needling is particularly effective for reducing musculoskeletal pain, muscle tension, limited mobility, and enhancing recovery. Dry needling is also effective in improving muscle function, strength, and coordination.
What is meant by “dry” needling?
“Dry” simply means that no liquid or medication is injected through the needle. The needle itself is the tool that is used to relieve muscle tension and encourage healing. This skilled intervention uses thin filiform needles to penetrate the skin and stimulate underlying myofascial trigger points, muscles, and connective tissues. Trigger points are the knotted, tender areas that develop in your muscles. Dry needling, when applied to muscles and tissues, decreases tightness, increases blood flow, and reduces local and referred pain.
Dry needling is used by physical therapists to treat pain and increase mobility.
How does dry needling work?
When muscles are overused, the muscle fibers don’t always get the adequate blood supply that allows muscles to return to their normal resting state. As a result, trigger points can develop. The tissue near the trigger points become more acidic and your nerves become sensitive. This results in soreness and pain.
Stimulating a trigger point with a needle helps draw normal blood supply back to the muscle tissue to flush out the byproducts of inflammation and release tension. The prick sensation can also fire off nerve fibers that stimulate your brain to release endorphins, which are your body’s natural pain medication.
Once your physical therapist locates a trigger point, he or she will insert a needle through your skin directly into the trigger point. This may produce a local twitch response, a quick spasm of your muscle. Sometimes, the simple relaxation of the muscles leads to pain relief. In fact, some people feel improvement in their pain and mobility almost immediately after a dry needling session. Depending on the tightness of the muscles, the nature of the injury, or the length of time the patient has been in pain, more than one session is typically necessary.
Does dry needling hurt?
For some people, dry needling doesn’t hurt at all. For others, they feel mild to moderate muscular soreness. The needles are very thin, though, so the intervention is usually tolerated very well.
What types of conditions are helped by dry needling?
- Chronic neck and back pain. Trigger points can cause significant pain and stiffness that can be alleviated with dry needling.
- Tendonitis and overuse injuries. Conditions such as tennis elbow, plantar fasciitis, and carpal tunnel syndrome are caused by overuse and inflammation. Dry needling can be very helpful in treating these issues.
- Myofascial pain syndrome and fibromyalgia. These chronic conditions are characterized by widespread pain and tenderness. Dry needling is an option to reduce pain and manage symptoms.
- Joint pain. Knees, shoulders, and other joints may benefit from dry needling.
- Migraine and tension headaches. Dry needling is beneficial in treating headaches as well as jaw problems like TMJ disorders.
- Sports injuries and rehabilitation. Athletes and even weekend warriors can benefit from dry needling as it works to release muscle tension and enhance recovery.
Dry needling is also used to reduce local and referred pain.
What can you expect in a dry needling session?
At Rehab Associates, our certified physical therapists use dry needling as part of a physical therapy plan to help patients reach their health goals. During a typical dry needling session, we locate the trigger points that may be causing the pain or dysfunction and then insert a thin, sterile needle into the area. Depending on the method we’re using, the needle could be inserted into the skin and then removed after a twitch response is achieved, or, the needle could remain in the area for several minutes, even up to 10 minutes. The therapist would explain the procedure prior to the treatment so that the patient would know what to expect. As mentioned, pain and discomfort are minimal for most patients, so the intervention is well tolerated.
Afterwards, the patient may feel some slight soreness, but that usually subsides quickly. Slight bruising is rare, but may occur. We encourage patients to take it easy for a few hours and to drink plenty of water.
Dry needling is an effective tool used by physical therapists to treat pain and increase mobility. If you think dry needling may enhance your treatment plan, please be sure to talk with one of our physical therapists at Rehab Associates of Central Virginia. We would love to help you improve your overall health! Give us a call at 855-722-8478.
Dr. Mike Richardson
Dr. Mike Richardson sees patients at our Forest clinic. He received a master’s of science in physical therapy from the Medical College of Virginia in 1998. He received his doctorate of physical therapy from the Medical College of Virginia in 2007. His clinical experiences are in general orthopedics, neurologic rehabilitation, and sports medicine, with a special interest in the spine. Dr. Richardson is certified in upper and lower body dry needling. For more information about dry needling, follow this link to our website https://racva.com/dry-needling/
