What is dry needling?

Dry Needling is used to treat trigger points, decrease pain and increase range of motion. At Bellarine MST our Musculoskeletal therapists are qualified and skilled in administering dry needling techniques safely and hygienically. Dry needling involves insertion of acupuncture needles into the skin and muscle directly at myofascial trigger points.

Trigger points are discrete, focal, hyper-irritable spots located in a taut band of skeletal muscle. They produce pain locally and in a referred pattern and often accompany chronic musculoskeletal disorders.

Neuromuscular dysfunction and imbalances are thought to be a primary contributing factor to the facilitation of myofascial trigger points.  Dry needling can be used for a variety of musculoskeletal conditions, these include:

• Headaches, migraines and tension-type headaches
• Neck and shoulder muscle tension and pain
• Tennis and Golfer's elbow
• Buttock pain and tightness
• Calf tightness and shin splints
• Iliotibial band tightness
• Muscle spasms
  

Dry needling is the modality of choice when it comes to treating acute injuries, muscle spasms or muscle pattern imbalances. It is very common to initiate dry needling at the beginning of your treatment program in order to break the pain cycle. Once that is achieved, other treatment options are introduced.

Is the procedure painful?

Most patients do not feel the insertion of the needle. The local twitch response elicits a very brief (less than a second) painful response. Some patients describe this as a little electrical shock; others feel it more like a cramping sensation. Again, the therapeutic response occurs with the elicitation of local twitch responses and that is a good and desirable reaction.  Our therapists only use sterile needles.

After treatment, mild soreness is a common side effect of the procedure. Typically the soreness lasts between a few hours and two days.