What is dry needling
Let’s talk about dry needling.
What is dry needling?
Dry needling is the insertion of a fine filament needle into dysfunctional muscles or
trigger points to ease muscular pain. The practitioner identify these spots through
palpation and then release them by inserting a needle directly into your trigger point.
This works by activating a ‘twitch response’ in the muscle, this is an involuntary
reflex spasm where the muscle contracts and relaxes at a deeper level. The benefits
of dry needling are that we are able to access deeper parts of the muscle which can
lead to a faster and more complete resolution of symptoms. Therefore, decreasing
tightness, increasing blood flow and reducing local and referred pain.
Will I feel pain?
Normally you will not feel the needle penetrate the skin. When a muscle is very tight,
the twitch response can be quite intense. Most people describe the feeling as
‘unusual’ rather than painful, particularly in comparison to the more regular
discomfort of hands-on deep tissue massage. After the session you will feel an ache
in the muscle that can last few hours and occasionally up to a day or two. As you
move around more, the soreness will be less noticeable.
How many sessions of dry needling are typically required?
About 3-4 sessions on average, depending on the chronicity and the underlying biomechanical foundation.
Interested in booking a dry needling treatment, click here. Still interested in finding out more email us here.
