What is Dry Needling? Dry needling is a minimally invasive treatment technique used to treat dysfunction of skeletal muscle and connective tissue to decrease pain and aid in tissue repair. Very thin solid filiform needles are inserted into the dysfunctional muscle or trigger point in an attempt to "release" the trigger point or muscle spasm providing relief in both acute and chronic pain as well as helping to provide healing to the tissue involved for long term correction of the tissue.
Common conditions treated with Dry Needling
- Neck and Back Pain
- Hip and Knee Pain
- Shoulder Pain: rotator cuff problems, bursitis, frozen shoulder, tendonitis, impingement syndrome
- Jaw Pain: TMJ dysfunction
- Elbow and Wrist Pain: lateral epicondylitis(tennis elbow), medial epicondylitis(golfer's elbow), carpal tunnel syndrome,
- Foot and Ankle Pain: achilles tendonitis, plantar fasciitis,
- Any type of myofascial pain related to acute, chronic, or repetitive stress injuries.
A common question asked is...Does dry needling hurt? A guided tube is utilized to allow the insertion of the needle to be quick and painless as it gets through the skin. Once the needle penetrates through the tissue treatment zone involved, some patients will report that they feel a pressure or ache that recreates the discomfort the patient is accustomed to from their area of pain. Occasionally a "twitch" will occur in the muscle involved which is a good sign that we are in the correct area. The treatment should never be considered "painful".
Our doctors have found great success when combining both Dry Needling and Chiropractic. Patients tend to get better AND faster results! If you're interested in learning more about how Dry Needling can help, don't hesitate to ask our doctors during your visit!