What is Dry Needling?

Dry Needling neck and face

What is Dry Needling?

Dry Needling involves the insertion of a sterile thin filament needle to stimulate the healing process of soft tissues (muscle “trigger points”, fascia, tendons and ligaments, etc). It is very safe, pain free (pain during treatment occurs in about 1% of treatments) and serious side effects are rare.

The aim is to achieve a local twitch response to release muscle tension and pain and it is an effective treatment for chronic pain of neuropathic origin with very few side effects.

Is it like Acupuncture?

The objectives and philosophy behind it are not based on the ancient theories or tenets of traditional Chinese medicine. The performance of modern dry needling by qualified physical therapists is based on western neuroanatomy and modern scientific study of the musculoskeletal and nervous systems.

Both Dry Needling and Acupuncture do, however, use the same tool; a solid needle filament.

Conditions we treat with Dry Needling

  • Neck/Back Pain
  • Shoulder Pain
  • Tennis/Golfers Elbow
  • Headaches
  • Hip and Gluteal Pain
  • Knee Pain
  • Achilles Tendonitis/Tendonosis
  • Plantar Fasciitis
  • Sciatica
  • Muscular Strains/Ligament Sprains
  • Chronic Pain