dry needling

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Dry needling can relieve a range of musculoskeletal problems through the insertion of needles into taut and contracted muscles, or trigger points, with the aim of restoring their proper functions. 

It is suitable for conditions such as back and neck pain, sporting injuries, and discomfort caused by poor posture.  There is a wide range of acute and chronic musculoskeletal conditions that can be treated through the use of dry needling.

Dry needling seeks to relieve the pain caused by musculoskeletal dysfunction through relaxing muscle trigger points — (these are taut bands that develop within a muscle that can occur in cases of both acute and chronic pain). Trigger points may develop in a muscle as a result of stresses such as poor posture, repetitive actions, or physical & emotional trauma, and can refer pain and create dysfunction in other parts of the body, including severe headaches.

Inserting a needle into the trigger point creates what is known as a twitch response — a feeling that is not dissimilar to a cramp — which means that the muscle is having a healing response to the stimulus and the chemical imbalance that created the trigger point in the muscle is being rectified. This then leads to a decrease in tension, enabling the muscle’s normal functions to be resumed.

Many patients respond positively to dry needling almost immediately, finding that the problem muscles are less taut and contracted, and that they are able to move with more freedom; in some cases, it may take a day or two for the benefits to be felt. Generally speaking, a number of sessions of dry needling will be required for a lasting benefit to be felt and for the muscle fully to resume functioning normally again. This is because trigger points are often located under deep layers of muscle and so it takes several sessions for the changes in the muscle to take full effect.