What Is Dry Needling?

Dry Needling (DN) is a treatment technique that utilizes thin, solid filament needles designed to penetrate the skin and stimulate underlying neural, muscular and connective tissues. DN evokes a healing response in painful neuromusculoskeletal conditions and improves movement impairments.

How Does It Work?
When a needle tip hits a trigger point, a characteristic local twitch response (LTR) in the muscle is noted by the clinician and the client. This LTR is involuntary. It has been shown that the elicitation of local twitch responses is one of the important aspects in obtaining a successful therapeutic outcome for trigger point deactivation. DN may mechanically disrupt the contracted nature of the trigger point.

Is Dry Needling similar To Acupuncture?
DN is not acupuncture or Oriental Medicine; that is, it does not have the purpose of altering the flow of energy (“Qi”) along traditional Chinese meridians for the treatment of disease. In fact, DN is a modern, sciencebased intervention for the treatment of pain and dysfunction in musculoskeletal conditions.

What Kinds Of Problems Can Treated?
Patients with the following symptoms may benefit from DN — neck pain, muscle strains, repetitive stress injuries, tendinitis/-nosis, adhesive capsulitis, knee osteoarthritis, bursitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, low-back pain, SI joint dysfunction, planterfaciitis, headache, chronic pain, and decreased mobility.

Is The Procedure Painful? 
Most people do not feel the insertion of the needle. The LTR elicits a very brief cramping and/or deep aching sensation. DN may reproduce symptoms directly in the muscle being treated or may refer to other areas of the body.

Are The Needles Sterile?
Yes, we only use the highest quality sterile disposable needles.

Are There Any Side effects To The Treatment? 
It is typical to experience soreness in the area treated for 24 - 48 hours. The soreness is quite tolerable for most and is easily alleviated with cold/heat and stretching. Drowsiness, tiredness or dizziness occur after treatment in a small number of patients (1-3%). Minor bleeding or bruising occurs after DN in 15-20% of treatments and is considered normal.

How Long Does It Take For the Procedure To Work?
In some cases, decreased pain and improved mobility is immediate. Typically, it may take a few treatment sessions for a lasting positive effect. We are trying to cause mechanical, biochemical and neurological changes without any additional pharmacological means. Therefore, we are looking for a cumulative response to deactivate trigger points, disrupt pain and to restore optimal muscle function.