Dry needling is a form of physical therapy used to treat musculoskeletal pain and dysfunction. It is an invasive form of myofascial release in which thin, flexible needles are inserted into taught bands or “knots” in the muscle or soft tissue.
Superficial needling can also be done mainly for pain control and penetrates just under the skin. This is different to accupuncture, which is a treatment technique related to Chinese medicine, and takes a philosophical rather than empirical approach to the body.
For which conditions can dry needling be used?
Dry needling can be used to treat many musculoskeletal conditions. It is very important to realise that the technique must be used as part of a balanced, professionally designed treatment regime that includes therapeutic exercise, manual therapy and patient education.
Dry needling is effective in treating back and neck pain, muscle strains, tight and painful scars, headaches, shoulder pain and a myriad of other problems related to muscles, pain and how the body copes with these.
What are the side effects of dry needling?
There are relatively few side effects, which is one of the great advantages of this effective therapy. The most common ones include discomfort from the needling procedure, bruising and occasionally a very small amount of bleeding. Less commonly, the patient may experience transient feelings of drowziness, euphoria, tearfulness, sweating or chills.