When I first heard of dry needling, I was not too sure about it. For some reason, I could not wrap my head around how the tip of a needle could touch your bone without bleeding or causing serious pain. As I have watched this treatment and saw the outstanding results from it, I am a strong advocate for it. I can not say from experience what it feels like, but I am very interested. I did not know the needles were so safe to insert just about anywhere, including in the face. The number of issues that dry needling can help improve is worth looking into for a variety of conditions.
Some ask if dry needling the same as acupuncture. Althought the answer is no, there are similarities as far as using the same type of needles. Acupuncture is based in Eastern medicine, or traditional Chinese medicine, which is mainly focused on the whole person and balancing the flow of energy or life forces, with longer treatment times of up to 60 minutes. Dry needling is based in Western medicine and the evaluation of faulty movement patterns, postures, pain tracking/patterns. The name "dry needling" refers to no injection into the body through the needle. During this treatment, a thin needle is inserted in the skin to treat connective tissues and muscles ranging from a few seconds up to 15 minutes. This treatment alleviates trigger points that can decrease tightness, increase blood flow, and reduce pain. Dry needling can also be paired with electrical stimulations that are sent from the needles throught your muscles for additional benefits. Some patients experience instant relief while others experience results within a couple of hours post-session. After care includes staying hydrated, drinking plenty of water, and rest.
Digging deeper, what are trigger points and why do we get them? Trigger points are tight bands of muscles located within a larger muscle group. It often develops as a protective response to repetitive motion, sustained postures, or injury. These points are often a result from the build up of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter that stimulates muscle movements. The tight muscle band may reduce blood flow and restrict oxygen to the muscle, resulting in a chemical build up. There are three types of trigger points: active, latent, and satellite. Active trigger points are painful with and without palpation, hyperirritable spots, found within a taut band of skeletal muscle or in the muscle’s fascia. They can give rise to characteristic pain, referred tenderness, motor dysfunction, and/or autonomic phenomena. Latent trigger points are only painful upon palpation, often creating a refered pain elsewhere in the body. Satellite trigger points are in refered areas, not in the actual area that is causing the problem.
There are two types of techniques of dry needling: pistoning and winding. Pistoning entails a quick insertion into a trigger point with partial withdrawals. Winding entails when the needle is inserted and twisted in a "screw-like" motion to cause mechanical disruption that activates receptors on peripheral nerve endings. Low pH, elevated temperature, and mechanical stimulation all cause these nerve terminals to become active. This causes a calcium influx, which results in tissue remodeling and pain blocking. It has been shown that a combination of the two techniques result in the greatest short and long-term effects.
Some common conditions that benefit from dry needling include:
- Hypetensive muscles, most commonly in the calves, neck, back, hamstrings, quadriceps, arms, & feet
- Chronic muscle spasms & tension
- Jaw & mouth problems, including TMJ
- Night cramps, pelvic pain, & phantom pain
- Carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis, or other repetitive motion disorders
- Sinus pain and congestion
- Tension headaches, migraines, & whiplash
Some contraindications of dry needling where we do not reccomend this treatment include:
- Pregnancy in the first trimester
- Bleeding disorders
- Patients who are immune suppressed
- Treating an area with a local infection
- Patients currently taking a high dose of anticoagulants
- Areas over joint replacement, cardiac pacemaker, or spinal stimulator
- Patients with an allergy to metal
In all, dry needling can treat a slew of conditions and is worth taking a look into. If you think you would benefit from this therapy, call us to book an apointment today at 303.561.0447 to see what options may work for you!
Written by Shon Smith, SPTA
Sources:
Cleveland Clinic.(2023). Dry Needling. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/16542-dry-needling
Foothills Sports Medicine Physical Therapy. (8 October, 2022). The Benefits of Dry Needling and What to Expect. https://foothillsrehab.com/blog/dry-needling-benefits-and-what-to-expect/
International Academy of Orthopedic Medicine. Gaines, Joel. (29 October, 2018). Dry Needling: A Modality to Treat Trigger Points. https://iaom-us.com/dry-needling-a-modality-to-treat-trigger-points/#:~:text=Eliminating%20trigger%20points%20reduces%20the,withdrawals%20into%20a%20trigger%20point.
Rose Physical Therapy Group. (2020). Dry Needling. https://rosept.com/treatment/dry-needling
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