Treatments / Specialities

Dry needling is a highly effective treatment technique used by physical therapists worldwide to treat acute and chronic orthopedic and neuromusculoskeletal conditions. Dry needling involves the insertion of small filament type needles into myofascial trigger points, tendons, ligaments, or near bones or nerves to stimulate a healing response and permanently reduce pain and dysfunction.  Dry needling is highly effective for many conditions including the treatment of arthritis, chronic pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, plantar fasciitis, headaches, golfers elbow and tennis elbow, sciatica, TMJ, Achilles tendonitis, cervical and lumbar radiculopathy, and many more.

While both Dry needling and Acupuncture both use thin filament type needles; the ideology and theoretical backgrounds are very different. Dry Needling is based on Western medical research and principles, whereas acupuncture is based on Traditional Chinese Medicine in which the purpose is to alter the flow of energy ("Qi") along traditional Chinese meridians for the treatment of diseases. In acupuncture, needles are typically placed along meridians whereas in Dry needling needles are placed based on anatomy – targeting muscles, tendons, ligaments, bones or near nerves. Dry needling is a modern intervention technique which is science-based and rooted in anatomy. Dry needling is used for the treatment of pain and dysfunction in neuromusculoskeletal conditions throughout the body. 

Each patient describes the processes of being needled differently.  Depending on what tissues are being treated; the sensation will feel different. If Dry needling is recommended for you, I will make sure you know what to expect from the exact technique we plan to use to treat your condition.  Quite frequently, patients report not feeling the needle being inserted at all; there are sometimes where there is a more sensitive spot and a mild discomfort in noted. The nice thing is, due to the mechanisms of how Dry needling works, any discomfort will typically resolve within a few seconds. To get the best benefits of Dry needling, you actually want to feel a mild discomfort when we stimulate the needles – most patients describe this as a mild warmth, tightness, ache. This only needs to be mild and will resolve within a few seconds sue to the biochemical and neurophysiological responses to the needling technique. Feeling that mild discomfort is what stimulates your body to respond with all of the incredible pain-relieving and healing responses (see below for more information). You may also experience what is called the local twitch response (LTR), this is a small (local) involuntary muscle contraction and means that we are positively affecting the desired tissue.

Dry needling has been shown to have many physiological mechanisms to reduce pain and disability, including local mechanical, electrophysiological, neurophysiological, and chemical/cellular effects. These effects include decreased pain, improved blood flow, decreased muscle contraction (relief of knots), improved neuromuscular activation and timing, and decreased inhibition of the descending sensory pain pathways.

In research, dry needling has been shown to work by activating various biochemical, biomechanical, endocrinological, and neurovascular mechanisms in the body. Dry needling stimulates your body to release your own natural painkillers such as opioids, cannabinoids, and serotonin, which help reduce pain. It also stimulates your body to bathe the local area in helpful biochemicals which reduce inflammation. Dry needling has also been shown to improve local and micro-circulation which helps with symptoms and healing. Dry needling is a powerful tool in reducing pain and dysfunction and improving range of motion and function in the treatment for acute and chronic orthopedic and neuromusculoskeletal conditions.