Dry needling treats muscle tissue, and its goal is to reduce pain, inactivate trigger points and restore function. Can assist desensitise acute inflammation responses such as tendonitis.

Dry needling can be used for a wide variety of musculoskeletal issues, such as shoulder, neck, heel, hip, and back pain. Research indicates dry needling is a safe and effective approach for treating and managing pain.

The benefits of Dry Needling frequently include more than just relief from a particular condition. Many people find that it can also lead to increased energy levels, better appetite, and sleep as well as an enhanced sense of overall wellbeing.

What to expect:

Generally, needle insertion is not felt; the local twitch response or sudden slight contraction of the muscle may provoke a very brief pain response. This has been described as an electric shock or a cramping sensation. A therapeutic response occurs with the elicitation of local twitch responses and that is a good and desirable reaction.

Dry needling uses a very fine, solid filament needle to cause a small, precise injury or “lesion” in the tissue when it enters the body. The tiny needle induces an injury, signals the brain to initiate a sequence of events to replace or repair the damaged tissue with new, healthy tissue. Needling in a painful ‘trigger point’ or muscular knot frequently provokes a “twitch” response from the muscle. This is both diagnostic as well as therapeutic, because healthy muscle tissue will not “twitch” when stimulated by the needle. Once a “twitch” response has been elicited, the muscle fibres in that area relax, ‘inflammation’ is reduced, and circulation improves. As a result of these physiologic processes, dry needling can purposely address muscle, tendon and myofascial pain and dysfunction