What is Dry Needling?

Dry needling is a modern treatment designed to ease muscular pain. Its popularity is growing.

During dry needling, a practitioner inserts several filiform needles into your skin. Filiform needles are fine, short, stainless steel needles that don’t inject fluid into the body. That’s why the term “dry” is used.

Practitioners place the needles in “trigger points” in your muscle or tissue. Dry needling is also sometimes called intramuscular stimulation. The points are areas of knotted or hard muscle.

Dry needling practitioners say the needle helps release the knot and relieve any muscle pain or spasms. The needles will remain in your skin for a short period of time. The length of time depends on the practitioner. Some healthcare professionals, such as physical therapists and massage therapists, receive some training in dry needling.

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Dry Needling included with Remedial Massage

Dry Needling Enoggera Brisbane

What does dry needling do?

Upon insertion of the dry needle, a small targeted lesion is created within the muscle. This tiny microtear causes an injury receptive response to the brain, resulting in a sequence of physiological responses to repair damaged tissue and replace it with healthy tissue. When a needle is placed into a trigger point it may cause a twitch response. This has growing supporting evidence to suggest that once a twitch response is created, the muscle tissue ‘relaxes’, decreasing tension and inflammation whilst improving blood circulation to the area.

Is dry needling the same as acupuncture?

Dry needling and acupuncture are performed by differently trained practitioners. Acupuncture takes an eastern medicine approach with dry needling providing a western medicine approach using pain evaluation patterns, movement impairment dysfunctions, orthopedic testing, posture assessment and muscle activation testing as part of the pain assessment and treatment process.

The treatment process of Acupuncture is based on channel theory where multiple points of the body are stimulated through light stimulation. The aim is to heal the body naturally. Dry needling focuses on strong stimulation on specific muscles with the aim to release tight, restrictive trigger points within the consultation.

Who will benefit from Dry Needling?

Any athlete suffering from neuromuscular pain and muscle tightness/stiffness may experience benefits from dry needling. Our Enoggera Remedial therapists are highly trained to maximise the treatment within minimal consultations. Dry needling can be highly effective, meaning athletes can return to sport pain-free in minimal time periods.

Dry needling can be used for a wide variety of musculoskeletal issues, such as shoulder, neck, heel, hip and back pain. While research indicates dry needling is a safe and effective approach for treating and managing pain, some insurance companies may not reimburse for the procedure.

Low back pain
A 2015 review of studies found that acupuncture could provide short-term relief from low back pain. This is true if acupuncture is used alone or with other treatments, such as medications or physical therapy.

Knee pain
Pain caused by osteoarthritis in the knee is a leading cause of disability among adults. A 2010 review found that acupuncture is an effective treatment for knee pain and physical symptoms of osteoarthritis.

Neck pain
Acupuncture can significantly reduce neck pain, according to one 2015 study. When acupuncture is used with other techniques to ease neck strain and reduce muscle tension, the symptom relief was significant when compared with traditional care.

Migraines and headaches
A 2012 review of migraine studiesTrusted Source found that acupuncture was at least as effective at easing migraine symptoms as other treatments, including medication. It also has some benefits over those classic treatments, including longer lasting effects, lower medication use, and fewer serious complications or side effects.

Labor pains
Researchers are mixed on the use of acupuncture to reduce labor pains during childbirth. Some studies show a statistically significant reduction in pain experience. Others point out that acupuncture’s effectiveness during labor is difficult to measure.

Still, acupuncture remains an area of interest for many mothers looking for medication-free options.