Dry Needling
What is a trigger point?
A trigger point is a local contracture or tight band in a muscle fiber that can disrupt function, restrict range of motion, refer pain, or cause local tenderness.
What is trigger point dry needling?
Dry needling, also known as Medical Acupuncture, involves your chiropractor or physical therapist inserting tiny acupuncture needles into trigger points or specific structures with the goal to improve a musculoskeletal orthopedic condition.
Benefits
- Decrease pain
- Improve range of motion and mobility
- -mprove muscle function
- Stimulate healing response
Is the process painful?
Most patients don't feel the insertion of the needle because it is very thin. A small muscle "twitch" will occur as muscles release tension; mild soreness following dry needling can last a few hours to a day.
What is the difference between traditional acupuncture and dry needling?
Trigger point dry needling is a more modern treatment applied to specific anatomical sites in order to create a physiological response, and sometimes with electrical stimulation applied for added effect. Acupuncture is based on the idea of balance and restoring proper flow of energy (known as "Qi") throughout the body, and is based on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).
Why is it called dry needling?
"Wet" needling would involve injecting medication into the body. Dry needling does not use any form of medication and does not inject anything into the body.
