Dry Needling 101 💉

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Casey Holt • Aug 02, 2020

Dry needling is a soft tissue therapy developed by physical therapists, and recently has entered the chiropractic realm. If you’ve been in the office, you’ve probably heard me talk about it, or even have had it done. In the eyes of many healthcare professionals, this IS the gold standard of soft tissue therapy. Let’s break it down on what exactly dry needling is, how it works, and how it may help you!

Trigger point dry needling first off uses a solid, microfilament needle that is inserted directly into a muscular trigger point. A trigger point is defined as a tight, tender band in the muscle that often sends referral pain elsewhere in the body. These can be caused by repetitive overuse, traumas like strains/sprains, and simply poor posture. When the needle is inserted into the trigger point, it actually causes minor tissue damage creating the tiny holes in the muscle. However, this is a good thing! This new damage will bring more oxygen to the over-contracted muscle, promoting more blood flow which is essential for timely healing.

Now lets go over some very common FAQ’s.

(Q) Is trigger point dry needling different from acupuncture?

(A) Yes. Acupuncture is based on ancient Chinese medicine techniques, in which they use very non-objective placements of the needles using a meridian system… basically a map. With dry needling, I am palpating with my hands on where the muscular trigger point is, and zeroing in on it to release it and restore normal tissue function.

(Q) Is dry needling painful?

(A) It may or may not be. For many, it is just a “weird” sensation. Some don’t feel it at all. And for some, it can be very painful. The responses differ for everybody, but the good news….it only lasts a few seconds. And the effects of needling are very fast!

(Q) Will I be sore after?

(A) Again, this differs for many. The most common response I see is that their muscle feels “tired” like they just got done working it out. If you do encounter soreness, this usually only lasts 24-48 hours, and the muscle typically feels a lot more relaxed afterwards.

(Q) How many times does it take to work?

(A) This also depends on the person, and soft tissue injury. In some instances, all it takes is one session. Most commonly 3-4 treatments is what I see most to alleviate all tender trigger points.

(Q) What type of conditions is dry needling good for?

(A) Many! Headaches, chronic postural syndrome, low back pain, achilles tendonitis, tennis elbow, strains/sprains, and plantar fasciitis very commonly produce trigger points and treated with dry needling.

I hope this was informative, and clears the air on what exactly trigger point dry needling is. If you have further questions on dry needling, or if it is possibly right for you give us a call or send me an email and I would love to help.

As always…

Stay active. Stay healthy. Stay positive.

Casey Holt

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