WHAT IS DRY NEEDLING?
Dry Needling is a general term for a therapeutic treatment procedure that involves multiple advances of a filament needle into the muscle in the area of the body which produces pain and typically contains a ‘Trigger Point’. There is no injectable solution and typically the needle which is used is very thin. Most patients will not even feel the needle penetrate the skin, but once it has and is advanced into the muscle, the feeling of discomfort can vary drastically from patient to patient. Usually a healthy muscle feels very little discomfort with insertion of the needle; however, if the muscle is sensitive and shortened or has active trigger points within it, the subject may feel a sensation much like a muscle cramp — which is often referred to as a ‘twitch response’. The twitch response also has a biochemical characteristic to it which likely affects the reaction of the muscle, symptoms, and response of the tissue. Along with the health of the tissue, the expertise of the practitioner can also attribute to the variation of outcome and/or discomfort. The patient may only feel the cramping sensation locally or they may feel a referral of pain or similar symptoms for which they are seeking treatment. A reproduction of their pain can be a helpful diagnostic indicator of the cause of the patient’s symptoms. Patients soon learn to recognize and even welcome this sensation as it results in deactivating the trigger point, thereby reducing pain and restoring normal length and function of the involved muscle. Typically positive results are apparent within 2-4 treatment sessions but can vary depending on the cause and duration of the symptoms, overall health of the patient, and experience level of the practitioner. Dry needling is an effective treatment for acute and chronic pain, rehabilitation from injury, and even pain and injury prevention, with very few side effects. This technique is unequaled in finding and eliminating neuromuscular dysfunction that leads to pain and functional deficits.
The most common cause of nerve irritation and neuropathic pain is underlying spinal degeneration (i.e. spondylosis of the spine), which can be a result of trauma and/or normal wear and tear. Spondylosis irritates the nerve root and leads to neuropathy which can result in muscle shortening. This process leads to pain and dysfunction in many common acute and chronic conditions that practitioners see in their everyday patient population. The introduction of a dry needle into the active trigger sites of these muscles can provide enormous relief of symptoms.
Dry Needling may also be used for acute and chronic sport-related injuries such as:
Muscular hematomas
Muscle tears
Compartment syndrome
Medial tibial stress syndrome (shin splints)
Rotator cuff injuries
Tennis/golfers elbow
Dry Needling can also be used for spinal conditions in which the underlying pathology may have triggered a movement disorder. This can result in the presence of reduced ROM or pain due to abnormal muscle tone or spasms. Such conditions may include:
Piriformis syndrome
Cervico-genic headaches
Sciatica
Hamstring issues
Common lower extremity conditions treated with Functional Dry Needling include:
Patellar Femoral Syndrome
Patellar tendonitis
Hamstring Strain
Groin Strain
Shin-splints, Compartment Syndrome
Achilles tendonopathies
Common upper extremity conditions treated with Functional Dry Needling include:
Thoracic Outlet Syndrome
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Lateral Epicondylitis (tennis elbow)
Medial Epicondylitis (golfers elbow)
Impingement syndromes
Dry Needling is a general term for a therapeutic treatment procedure that involves multiple advances of a filament needle into the muscle in the area of the body which produces pain and typically contains a ‘Trigger Point’. There is no injectable solution and typically the needle which is used is very thin. Most patients will not even feel the needle penetrate the skin, but once it has and is advanced into the muscle, the feeling of discomfort can vary drastically from patient to patient. Usually a healthy muscle feels very little discomfort with insertion of the needle; however, if the muscle is sensitive and shortened or has active trigger points within it, the subject may feel a sensation much like a muscle cramp — which is often referred to as a ‘twitch response’. The twitch response also has a biochemical characteristic to it which likely affects the reaction of the muscle, symptoms, and response of the tissue. Along with the health of the tissue, the expertise of the practitioner can also attribute to the variation of outcome and/or discomfort. The patient may only feel the cramping sensation locally or they may feel a referral of pain or similar symptoms for which they are seeking treatment. A reproduction of their pain can be a helpful diagnostic indicator of the cause of the patient’s symptoms. Patients soon learn to recognize and even welcome this sensation as it results in deactivating the trigger point, thereby reducing pain and restoring normal length and function of the involved muscle. Typically positive results are apparent within 2-4 treatment sessions but can vary depending on the cause and duration of the symptoms, overall health of the patient, and experience level of the practitioner. Dry needling is an effective treatment for acute and chronic pain, rehabilitation from injury, and even pain and injury prevention, with very few side effects. This technique is unequaled in finding and eliminating neuromuscular dysfunction that leads to pain and functional deficits.
The most common cause of nerve irritation and neuropathic pain is underlying spinal degeneration (i.e. spondylosis of the spine), which can be a result of trauma and/or normal wear and tear. Spondylosis irritates the nerve root and leads to neuropathy which can result in muscle shortening. This process leads to pain and dysfunction in many common acute and chronic conditions that practitioners see in their everyday patient population. The introduction of a dry needle into the active trigger sites of these muscles can provide enormous relief of symptoms.
Dry Needling may also be used for acute and chronic sport-related injuries such as:
Muscular hematomas
Muscle tears
Compartment syndrome
Medial tibial stress syndrome (shin splints)
Rotator cuff injuries
Tennis/golfers elbow
Dry Needling can also be used for spinal conditions in which the underlying pathology may have triggered a movement disorder. This can result in the presence of reduced ROM or pain due to abnormal muscle tone or spasms. Such conditions may include:
Piriformis syndrome
Cervico-genic headaches
Sciatica
Hamstring issues
Common lower extremity conditions treated with Functional Dry Needling include:
Patellar Femoral Syndrome
Patellar tendonitis
Hamstring Strain
Groin Strain
Shin-splints, Compartment Syndrome
Achilles tendonopathies
Common upper extremity conditions treated with Functional Dry Needling include:
Thoracic Outlet Syndrome
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Lateral Epicondylitis (tennis elbow)
Medial Epicondylitis (golfers elbow)
Impingement syndromes