Dry Needling is a targeted therapeutic technique to rapidly relieve muscle pain, eliminate stiffness, and accelerate injury recovery. By inserting thin, sterile, solid filament needles (acupuncture needles) into myofascial trigger points (points of tenderness, colloquially known as ‘knots’), our practitioners deactivate hypersensitive tissues and restore normal, pain-free movement. These trigger points are often the cause of referred pain, and the dry needling acts to deactivate and resolve them, resulting in reduced muscle tension, tightness and pain.
Important Things to Know…
Key Benefits of Dry Needling
- Rapid Pain Relief: Targets the exact source of deep muscular pain and tension.
- Releases Knots: Deactivates hyper-irritable spots within tight muscle bands.
- Improves Mobility: Instantly increases joint flexibility and range of motion.
- Accelerates Healing: Stimulates local blood flow to deliver oxygen and fresh nutrients to damaged tissues.
Conditions that are Commonly Treated
- Back, Neck, Shoulder Pain: Chronic lower back pain, neck stiffness, and thoracic tension, trapezius tightness.
- Headaches: Tension-type headaches and migraines originating from neck tightness.
- Sports Injuries: Tennis /golfers elbow, shin splints, hamstring strains, and Achilles tendinitis.
- Joint Dysfunction: Shoulder impingement, hip bursitis, and jaw (TMJ) tracking issues.
Is it painful? Most people report a ‘mild prick’ sensation, similar to a mosquito bite that quickly fades.
- The Insertion: Most patients feel very little as the ultra-thin needle is introduced through the skin.
- The Twitch Response: When the needle hits the target knot, you may feel a brief, involuntary muscle cramp or “local twitch response.” This is a positive sign that the muscle is resetting.
- The Duration: Needles are safely left in place for anywhere from 30 seconds up to 20 minutes depending on your condition, and the physiotherapist will discuss with you during the consultation.
Post-Session Soreness: You might experience a mild, dull ache in the treated muscle for 12 to 24 hours, similar to the feeling after an intense gym workout
Is it dangerous? Dry needling is an exceptionally safe, evidence-based treatment and our staff have the necessary training and experience to provide this service in a safe and effective fashion.
How does it differ from acupuncture? Dry needling is based on Western anatomical and neurophysiological principals that requires inserting microscopic needles at the site of the tension or pain. Acupuncture, on the other hand, has its foundations in Chinese Medicine. It requires needles to be inserted and retained (for 15-30 minutes) to redirect and reposition the flow of energy along a meridian (internal pathway) to treat complaints like digestive issues, stress, insomnia, sub-fertility, or sometimes chronic pain.