Dry needling is a very effective form of therapy for pain that is growing in popularity. It involved using needles to stimulate and break up knotted or hard muscle tissue- called “trigger points” that are usually located deeper in the body. It is called “dry” as nothing is injected. It is almost always used as a part of an overall plan that will likely include some type of exercise, manual therapy, heat therapy, and education. Dry needling is used to increase range of motion that may be limited due to muscle tightness or scar tissue.
Dry needling may also treat:
Joint problems
Disk Problems
Tendinitis
Migraine and tension-type headaches
Whiplash
Spinal problems
Post-herpetic neuralgia (pain left behind by shingles)
It is different from acupuncture as it goes deeper and directly releases tight muscles where acupuncture works in meridians and uses energy or “chi”.