Dry Needling

Dry needling is widely used by all physiotherapists at City Physiotherapy & Sports Injury Clinic and has become an increasingly popular technique for treating a range of musculoskeletal conditions, including acute and chronic neck pain, back pain, tennis elbow, runner’s knee, arthritis, headaches and migraine, Achilles tendinopathies and many other conditions.

Dry needling is based on Western medicine and neuro-physiological principles. It is different from traditional Chinese acupuncture which includes diagnosis and reasoning based on Chinese medicine assessment. Both traditional and western needling work on meridian points and 71% of trigger points actually coincide with acupuncture points.

How does it work? – Dry needling involves the use of very fine, sterile needles to stimulate the flow of chi or energy throughout the body. It helps to treat the limitations and restrictions that are found during your physical assessment. For most conditions needling has little or no post-treatment side-effects. The needles are inserted into trigger points to deactivate and resolve them. Your muscular pain or headaches then disappear. The needles can also stimulate your brain via activation of your nervous system to produce natural pain relieving chemicals in your body such as endorphins.

What is a trigger point? – A trigger point is a hyperirritable spot within the muscle. It is usually painful to touch and may refer pain elsewhere. Your trigger point may give you abnormal movement and “autonomic” changes such as temperature and skin changes at the site of a pathology.

Benefits of dry needling – Dry needling reduces the referred symptoms of trigger points and can be used to treat your:

• Neck pain – wry neck, headaches or migraines
• Jaw pain
• Muscular tightness – neck / lower back problems
• Sporting injuries
• Shin splints and many other conditions.

All Physiotherapists at City Physiotherapy are highly trained in advanced needling, so don’t put up with pain anymore and contact us today to discuss whether needling can be an appropriate treatment option for you.

BACK TO BLOG