Dry Needling

Dry Needling is a skilled intervention that involves the insertion of a sterile, single-use acupuncture needle into Myofascial Trigger Points (MTPs).  Thes MTPs are often characterized by tenderness or tightness locally, and can also cause or refer pain in a nearby region.  MTPs can have increased inflammatory substances within that area, and also demonstrate an excessive amount of electrical activity within the muscle tissue.

Research has demonstrated that inserting such needles into MTPs causes biochemical changes (reduction in inflammatory substances) within the MTP, which helps reduce pain. Additionally, when inserting a needle into the MTP, there is often a local muscle twitch response. When this occurs, this helps decrease the amount of electrical activity to a more normal level within the muscle, reducing tightness, spasm, pain, and restriction.