Dry Needling

What is dry needling?

Dry needling is often confused with acupuncture; however, they are very different needling techniques. A dry needling treatment focuses on reducing pain and accelerating healing through a deep understanding of the relationships between our bodies and our central nervous system. Specifically, dry needling is another form of soft tissue mobilization that can help reduce inflammation, decrease muscle tension, and ultimately relieve pain through trigger points.

What is a Trigger Point?

A trigger point is a sensitive area of tense skeletal muscle. A trigger point can be tender to the touch and can cause other parts of the body to experience pain when touched.

Why Do Physical Therapists Use Dry Needling?

Licensed physical therapists practice this dry needling technique to reduce muscle tension and offer pain relief by releasing or deactivating trigger points. This practice can support a faster recovery for a patient. 

What Kind of Needles Are Used?

Dry needling therapy uses a very thin filiform needle (which is different from an acupuncture needle) to stimulate trigger points in connective tissue so a licensed physical therapist can target tissues that are not manually palpable. The goal of dry needling is to release tension on tight muscle bands associated with trigger points that are causing pain. Trigger points can make it painful to perform everyday activities and often radiate pain to other areas of the body. Dry needling physical therapy treatment focuses on stimulating those trigger points, which has been shown to reduce pain and speed up the patient recovery process.

Dry needle therapy has been used to successfully treat:

• Neck pain
• Back pain
• Hip pain
• Shoulder pain
• Knee pain
• Sciatica
• Tendinitis
• Headaches
• Muscle strains
• Muscle spasms
• Tennis elbow
• Golfer’s elbow
• and more

Schedule your dry needling session today at an Ivy Rehab Network location near you to learn more about chronic pain relief.