Dry needling is a technique I have been using in my practice since 2016. I have found it to be very effective for a lot of conditions, and many of my patients love the results they get after a dry needling session. Like any other treatment, many people will search online to learn more about dry needling before trying it. In this blog post, I’m going to discuss some of the most common questions patients have asked me over the years about dry needling.
First, what is dry needling?
Dry needling is a manual therapy technique often utilized by Physical Therapists. It is not acupuncture, however, we do use small, fine filament acupuncture needles. It is called "dry needling" because we are not injecting any medication with the needles. These needles are inserted through the skin and into muscles that are determined to have restrictions, or in homeostatic points, based on the assessment completed by your Physical Therapist.
When the needle is inserted into the muscle, it causes microtrauma to the tissues and activates a healing process, increasing blood flow to the area, and sometimes causes a local twitch response in the muscle. This healing response and increased blood flow allows the muscle fibers to relax and returns the muscle to a more natural length. Addressing these trigger points can decrease pain, increase mobility and range of motion, and improve muscular performance.
Addressing homeostatic points can also be beneficial to patients. By inserting the needle into a homeostatic point, the same response to the tissue occurs. This promotes restoration of both local and systemic homeostasis, which reduces physical (biomechanical) and psychological (inflammation, tissue ischemia) stress that comes with exercise and training. The insertion of the needle creates therapeutic effects in both cases through biological healing and repair.
Frequently Asked Questions About Dry Needling
1) Is dry needling painful?
Some patients do have some pain or discomfort with dry needling, while others don’t find it painful at all. Actual needle insertion is not typically painful, but if we hit a cutaneous nerve it can sometimes feel a little sharp (this is pretty rare in my experience). Once the needle is in, the muscle may twitch, which is an odd sensation but not typically painful. Some patients feel a deep aching sensation, which can certainly be uncomfortable but does not always happen and usually resolves as soon as the needle is removed.
2) What does dry needling feel like?
This is always a tough one! As I mentioned above, sometimes it can feel like a deep ache and other times you may not feel much of anything. You may or may not feel a non painful muscle twitch. For about 24-48 hours after a dry needling session you may experience some muscle soreness like you exercised the muscle, but it shouldn’t increase the pain or symptoms you came into PT with. If it does, let your provider know right away.
3) Is dry needling the same thing as acupuncture?
Although we use acupuncture needles, the philosophy and treatment technique is different. I have had acupuncture treatment as a patient and it is an amazing modality with a lot of benefits! I honestly think many patients can benefit from both depending on their symptoms, goals, and preferences.
4) Can I schedule an appointment with you just for dry needling?
yes, BUT, I will not dry needle you unless I have evaluated you. A thorough evaluation and assessment is important to determine which muscles need to be dry needled, as well as what exercises and treatment techniques may be beneficial for you. Dry needling is a treatment tool but as a provider I don’t believe it is a stand alone treatment - I want to be sure you have the proper education and are doing the right movements and exercises to maximize treatment benefit.
If you are interested in learning more about dry needling or would like to schedule an appointment, you can contact me directly at alexis@absolutekineticspt.com or schedule online here.