What Is Dry Needling?
You might have heard mention of dry needling, but what is that exactly?
Dry needling is where sterile single use dry needles are directly inserted into the myofascial trigger points. The trigger points in the body are composed of many tight contraction knots within the muscle which cause pain in the body. There is significant research that shows that by inserting needles into the trigger point you can cause biochemical changes within the body to help reduce the pain.
Dry needling also stimulates the tight band of muscles which is followed by relaxation of the muscle which alleviates biomechanical strain on adjunct joints. It helps in decreasing pain by stimulating pain pathways of the body. It also increases blood flow which brings improved nutrition and oxygen to the muscle for healing. Dry needling effectively treats musculoskeletal pain and dysfunction.
You may have also heard people comparing it to acupuncture, however they both are very different. Dry needling is a western based medicine, the principles of treating the myofascial trigger points in dry needling are different than the traditional acupuncture point.
similarity that they have is the use of a fine needle. There was a study conducted where Group A received injections to help control the pain and Group B just received the dry needle without any medication, both groups had improvement which led professionals to conclude that the needle is the one actually helping patients with their pain and not the medication that Group A received.
If you have a pain level of 6 or greater on a scale out of 10, this might help you decrease your pain level significantly. We at Sure Cure have Physical Therapists who are certified to perform dry needling. Many of our physical therapy patients have noticed an immediate difference in their pain level within just a few dry needling sessions.
Call us at 469-212-8888 with any questions and book your FREE consultation today!
Dry Needling FAQs:
Dry needling is a technique that involves the insertion of fine needles into trigger points (tender knots in muscles) in order to alleviate pain and improve muscle function.
Dry needling can be used to treat a variety of musculoskeletal conditions, including back pain, neck pain, headaches, shoulder pain, tennis elbow, knee pain, and more.
No, dry needling is different from acupuncture. Although both use needles, acupuncture is based on traditional Chinese medicine principles and involves the insertion of needles into specific points along energy meridians, while dry needling focuses on the trigger points themselves.
The length of a dry needling session can vary depending on the number of trigger points being treated and the severity of the condition, but typically lasts between 15 and 30 minutes.
Many people report feeling a mild discomfort or pressure during dry needling, but it is generally not considered painful. The needles used are very thin and typically do not cause bleeding or bruising.