What is Dry Needling?
1st December 2019
What is Dry Needling?
Dry Needling is beneficial for the treatment of many myofascial complaints. It can be used to help and relieve trigger points, increase range of motion, decrease muscle ‘tone’ and relieve pain.
At the Rehab Hub it is considered for use (with your informed consent) as a treatment modality within a standard Sports Therapy or Physiotherapy session. It comprises part and not all of your treatment session.The technique uses “dry” needles (without medication or injection), which are inserted into a muscle to relieve symptoms.
How does it work?
A fine filament needle is inserted into the centre of a muscle trigger point. Blood pools around the needle, triggering the contracted muscle fibres to relax by providing those fibres with fresh oxygen and nutrients, as well as by flushing away any additional acidic chemicals. This, in turn, leads to the decompression of the local blood and nerve supply which helps to relive pain and tension.
What does it do?
Practitioners use Dry Needling with the goal of releasing trigger points to relieve pain or improve range of motion. Research supports that dry needling improves pain, reduces muscle tension, and normalizes dysfunctions of the motor end plates (the sites at which nerve impulses are transmitted to muscles). This can help speed up the return to active rehabilitation.
Dry Needling is different to Acupuncture – a practice based on Traditional Chinese Medicine and performed by Acupuncturists. Here’s some further info.
Dry Needling and Acupuncture – what’s the difference?
