Dry Needling- Is it right for you? Let’s explore.

What is Dry Needling?

Dry Needling, or DN,  is a wonderfully powerful technique involving needling painful points on the body, called trigger points, to reduce pain,  restore mobility,  and improve muscle function.   Dr. Janet Travell, MD, coined the term Trigger Point during her research on the treatment of myofascial and musculoskeletal pain.

Before the needles were introduced for this technique, it was performed using acupressure. Fast forward a few decades and the technique expanded into a more effective treatment by inserting a needle into a trigger point and moving the needle until an involuntary muscle twitch response is observed.  Once the twitch response is achieved the needle is removed. This helps release tension in the muscle, improve blood flow and reduce pain.  

Within the last several years DN has evolved to leaving the needles inserted after twitch response, for up to 20 minutes,  a technique adopted from acupuncture, based on better clinical results.  Not long after that, DN changed again, this time adding electrostimulation, another modality adopted from acupuncture for it’s effectiveness on improving muscle function and blood flow, thus reducing pain.

Is DN painful? Everyone’s pain tolerance is different, for some they feel the strong stimulation of the needle that elicits pain, burning or an electric like feeling that is very temporary. For others, they may feel pressure or some minor discomfort.

Who performs Dry Needling?  Non-Acupuncturists, on average, take a weekend course and are then able to treat patients after a quick certification.  Acupuncturists, on the other hand, have over 2000 clinical hours inserting needles before they even get licensed.  While in principle,  Acupuncture and DN are different, they can be very much alike when it comes to the treatment of musculoskeletal issues.   The advantage for Acupuncturists is that several different needling treatment principles can be utilized to address pain.

It is necessary to get a proper diagnosis and assessment to discover if Dry Needling is right for you.

The most important thing is finding someone with experience that you trust to help you. Garrett has 20+ years of needling experience and performs Dry Needling when indicated. Give us a call or message us to find out if Dry Needling is right for you.