Dry Needling

Dry Needling or “Trigger Point Dry Needling” is a technique in which a filiform needle or “dry needle” is inserted directly into the skin and muscle where the myofascial trigger point is located in order to reduce pain, normalize tone, and correct dysfunction. A myofascial trigger point is a hyperirritable spot within the skeletal muscle unit that is usually painful in nature that causes localized pain, pain referral, movement dysfunction, altered firing patterns, accelerated fatiguability, and delayed recovery.

Thee goal of dry needling, as with other techniques and strategies we use, is to restore homeostasis in the muscle and body. A sometimes desired response is felt and elicited that is called a Local Twitch Response (LTR). This twitch response can immediately reduce pain and it also is great feedback of an accurate needle placement. This LTR response is an involuntary spinal cord reflex in which the muscle and motor unit contract and relax quickly. This can reproduce the patients pain which can be a helpful diagnostic tool for the practitioner. However, this twitch response is not always needed to get the desired result, especially in terms of latent trigger points, when targeting neural points, and combining needling with E-Stim. Dry needling is not limited to muscle either. It can be used to treat tendons, ligaments, and nerves to help reduce pain and expedite healing. It can also be used for headaches and swelling.