WHAT IS DRY NEEDLING?
Dry needling is a treatment technique that physiotherapist and other healthcare providers use to treat musculoskeletal pain and movement issues by using thin, solid needles to stimulate trigger points (knots). This leads to a localized immune response, supporting your body’s natural healing process and helping you return to your daily activities as quickly as possible. It is referred to as “dry” because the needle does not contain medication. It’s almost always used as part of a larger treatment plan alongside exercise, stretching, massage and other techniques. 

This method has been widely studied within western medicine and its effectiveness has been validated in numerous scientific studies. While dry needling is primarily used to treat muscular issues, it can also be applied to fascia and ligaments.
What Can It Help?
  • Overuse muscular conditions such as tennis/golf’s elbow, runner’s knees, shin splints, ITB syndrome
  • Neck, Back and pelvic pain including sciatica
  • Ligament and tendon injuries
  • Plantar fasciitis
  • Shoulder impingement and rotator cuff syndromes
  • Headaches and TMJ/Jaw pain
  • Sinusitis
What Are The Benefits?
  • Decrease pain.
  • Increase circulation.
  • Accelerate tissue healing and recovery.
  • Enhance muscle activation and function
  • Break down scar tissue and adhesion's.
  • Improve range of motion and muscle flexibility.
  • Decrease muscle spasm.
  • Improve joint range of motion.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Dry needling therapy facilitates a localized immune reaction by enhancing blood flow to the affected area. This process initiates and supports the repair and regeneration of injured tissue.

When your muscle is overused, it goes into an energy crisis where the muscle fibres aren’t getting an adequate blood supple. With a lack of blood supply there is a lack of oxygen and nutrients and can the muscle not go back to its resting state and a trigger point forms. This leads to surrounding are becoming more acidic and your nerves are sensitized making the area sore and painful. Active trigger points often develop as a protective response following tissue injury, serving to shield the damaged area from further harm. However, these points can become painful and limit mobility by reducing muscle length. Dry needling effectively releases these trigger points, thereby improving muscle extensibility. 

Stimulating the tissue with a needle helps draw blood supply back and release tension within the muscle. Once accomplished, this leads to a reduction in tension on the associated tendons, which, in turn, helps to alleviate pain. Once joint range of motion is adequately restored, rehabilitation exercises can be introduced, allowing for a safe and gradual return to sport or physical training. The prick also fires off nerve fibres that stimulate your brain to release endorphins, your body’s homemade pain medication.  
DOES IT HURT?
Trigger points are usually painful to touch. You may feel discomfort during the needling. Sometimes, people don’t feel the needle going in because it’s so small, but other times, people feel a prick. When the needle is in the trigger point, it can be painful and case a twitch response. Afterwards, you may feel tightness or soreness near the insertion site, but it’s important to keep moving and stretching. 

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN

DRY NEEDLING & ACUPUNCTURE?
While ​both procedures involve using a similar type of needle to pierce the skin, but that is where the similarities end, dry needling and acupuncture are not the same.

Dry needling is based on Western medicine where the needle in inserted deep into muscle tissue. It treats muscle, tendon and ligament tissue with the goal of reducing pain, deactivating trigger-points and improving movement. It is used by physiotherapists, chiropractors or any other western-trained health clinicians and is typically used to treat muscular pain or tension, sport injuries or restriction in mobility as part of a broader approach that includes other physiotherapy treatments.

Acupuncture, however, is performed by trained acupuncturists. It is based on Eastern medicine and the needle is inserted superficially in the skin or deeper, depending on the meridian point. It is used to restore energy flow as well as treat various physical and emotional conditions (pain, stress, digestion, anxiety, insomnia, etc.).

​Both can be effective, but the choice depends on the condition being treated and the practitioner’s training.