Dry Needling &
Sports Acupuncture
MSMA, MISRM, IIHT
What is it ?
Dry needling acupuncture, also known as trigger point dry needling and intramuscular stimulation, is a treatment technique used by various healthcare practitioners, including physical therapists, physicians, and chiropractors, among others. It involves the use of needles for therapy of muscle pain, including pain related to myofascial pain syndrome. Dry needling is mainly used to treat myofascial trigger points, but it is also used to target connective tissue, neural ailments, and muscular ailments. Dry needling is defined as a technique used to treat dysfunction of skeletal muscle and connective tissue, minimize pain, and improve or regulate structural or functional damage.
Dry needling is a technique that involves inserting thin needles into the skin to stimulate trigger points in the muscles, which can help to reduce pain and improve mobility. Dry needling, which is also called trigger-point needling, is a modern medical technique adapted from traditional Chinese medicine. It is called “dry” because there is no liquid or medication involved.
What is Dry Needling?
Unlike acupuncture, dry needling scientifically targets identified muscle trigger points which are causing pain. The pain may be radiating to other areas of the body. Dry needling changes the way your brain communicates with these muscles by interfering with the nerves and by relaxing the tension in the muscle.
In dry needling, your therapist will insert a hair-thin needle into a muscle’s trigger point where the pain is localized. Your therapist will then carefully and gently manipulate the needle to unknot your muscle and relieve the pain. Afterward, the needle is removed, which is another difference with acupuncture – in which the needles stay in place for a certain length of time during the treatment session.
Sports acupuncture is a form of acupuncture that is specifically designed to treat sports-related injuries. It involves inserting needles into specific points on the body to stimulate the body’s natural healing processes.
What Does Dry Needling Treat?
A physical therapist will usually use dry needling therapy as a complementary treatment for myofascial pain syndrome, in which an oversensitivity in a muscle’s trigger point can cause referred pain elsewhere in the body. A trigger point occurs when a muscle is stuck in a contracted state and will not relax.
These points are also called pain knots, because they feel like bumps in your muscles. Because of the contraction and tightness of these bumps in a muscle, your circulatory system is impeded. Nutrients and oxygen cannot be properly transported to your muscles.
Because of this improper transport of oxygen, patients with myofascial pain syndrome may also notice numbness. Dry needling unknots trigger points by relaxing the affected muscles, enabling proper blood flow. The therapist will wiggle the dry needle in the trigger point, forcing the muscle to stop contracting.
Benefits of Dry Needling
Many patients report remarkable pain relief after undergoing dry needling. In addition to trigger-point therapy, it is also an effective treatment for migraine headaches, jaw pain, back pain, and joint problems. Nighttime leg cramps and repetitive-motion disorders, such as carpal tunnel syndrome, can also be successfully treated with dry needling.
I also practice 5 elements acupuncture – read about it here