Dry Needling
Autumn Paul, PT, DPT
You may have heard about dry needling from one of your friends or family members and now you are thinking, “What is dry needling? Could I benefit from it?”
Dry needling involves the practitioner using a solid filiform needle or hollow-core hypodermic needle (similar to an acupuncture needle) to place it through the skin and enter the muscle. The goal is to place the needle specifically into a myofascial trigger point (hyperactive muscle fibers).
These trigger points can be located in a tense band of muscle. For example, many people have tightness or soreness in their shoulders or necks from the tension they carry throughout the day.
These hyperactive muscle fibers (tense bands of muscle) can send signals to other parts of your body which are considered “referred pain”.
The goal of dry needling is to pierce these trigger points in order to allow these muscle fibers to relax, which can help reduce your pain levels.
“So what conditions may dry needling help with?”
● Headaches
● Shoulder/neck pain/tightness
● Lower back pain/ tightness
● Tennis and golfer’s elbow
● Knee pain
● Shin splints
● TMJ/jaw pain
● Plantar fasciitis
● Hip Pain/ tightness
“Can any physical therapist perform dry needling?”
In order to be able to perform dry needling, the physical therapist is required to go through extensive training. This training includes studying human anatomy and hands-on practice. These training sessions are often a weekend course or even several weekend courses.
“Awesome, I want to see a physical therapist who can assess and see if I could potentially benefit from dry needling. How do I make an appointment?”
First, look online to see what location is closest to you. Then, you can request to schedule an appointment with a physical therapist who is certified to perform dry needling.
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References:
Firth C, Meon J, Price M, Taylor J, Grace S. Dry Needling: A literature Review. Journal of the Australian Traditional-Medicine Society . 2020;26(1):22-28. Accessed January 14, 2021.
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