Restore Movement
Dry Needling Therapy
What Is Dry Needling?
In simple terms, dry needling is an alternative treatment to offer quick pain relief and improved muscle movement by targeting muscle trigger points. A trigger point is a tight band or a localized contracture in your muscle fibres that can debilitate or restrict your range of motion. It can also cause pain and tenderness as well. Dry needling can be applied to those trigger points (or to a dysfunctional muscle) to help increase blood flow, reduce tightness, and get rid of the pain that is tagged along with it.
How Does Dry Needling Work?
A dry needling procedure involves a physical therapist inserting a thin, sterile needle directly into your trigger points, hitting your knots dead on to help release the muscle. During this time, you may even feel a twitch-like response, which is perfectly normal. Though you can’t see it, when the chemical-free needle is inserted, it sends a neuro signal to the brain, telling it that there is a micro trauma in that specific area. In turn, your brain sends natural anti-inflammatory agents to the targeted muscle for a fast, pain-relieving outcome.
When it comes to getting started with dry needling, it is entirely up to you if you would like to proceed with this process or not. You will also likely need to consult with your chosen physical therapist to see if that approach is the ideal route for you to take based on what you are experiencing. However, even though dry needling is safe for both teens and adults to address conditions affecting the muscles, ligaments, and tendons, there are some cases where people should not pursue this practice. This includes people with certain blood disorders and pregnant women.
