Dry Needling- What is it

& Why it Works

Are Dry Needling & Acupuncture the Same Thing?

● Most people have heard of acupuncture:

- A procedure where thin needles are inserted into the skin at the body’s acupuncture points.

● However, not as many people have heard about the similar treatment of dry needling. Though lesser

known, dry needling may be exactly what you need to treat your muscle pain.

● Dry needling has similarities to acupuncture in that the procedure involves inserting thin filament

needles into the skin and muscles, but it is not the same procedure.

● The major difference between the two is that acupuncture is a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)

technique, whereas dry needling is based on Western research and medical anatomical principles.

What’s it Used For?● The dry needling procedure is used to treat muscular pain and myofascial pain, which is chronic pain

linked to sensitive points in the muscles, even though the pain will appear in body parts which may not

appear to be related (like experiencing a headache from a spasm in a neck muscle).

● Some of the problems dry needling can help treat include:

- Tennis elbow

- Whiplash

- Repetitive strain injuries (RSI)

- Sports injuries (groin, hamstring, etc) and,

- Migraines and headaches.

How Does it Work?● Dry needling focuses on the specific muscles that are causing pain for a patient.

● Your physiotherapist will identify and locate the specific trigger points, or knots, in the muscle, which

are the source of the pain. The physio will then insert the thin filament needles into these trigger

points within the muscle.

● This stimulation of the painful trigger point causes the muscle to twitch and have a reflex reaction:

releasing the muscle, loosening and relaxing it.

● The twitch response not only relaxes the muscle, it also reduces inflammation and improves

circulation, which all work together to reduce muscle pain.

● No substance is injected; it is simply the stimulation of the needle in the muscle knot which releases it.

Cont’d● Dry needling has been described as pressing the “reset” button on taut, knotted muscles.

● It releases the tension and pressure, reducing pain, improving movement and speeding up the recovery

process of injuries such as whiplash.

● If you want to learn more about whether dry needling is the right treatment for you, give us a call on

9375 3900.