TRIGGER POINT DRY NEEDLING

Dry needling releases or desensitizes trigger points to relieve pain and improve range of motion.  It can be used as a stand-alone treatment but is typically accompanied with chiropractic adjustments, soft tissue treatment, and rehabilitative exercises.  Conditions that dry needling may treat are:

• Joint issues

• Disc issues

• Headaches

• Jaw Pain

• Tendonitis

• Repetitive Use Injuries

• Whiplash

• Spine Pain

• Complications from ligament sprains

• Muscle Strains/Tears 

What to expect during treatment

A thin, monofilament needle is inserted into the trigger point of a muscle.  Once the needle has been inserted properly, a localized twitch response will occur.  The twitch response is a small, quick spasm of the muscle which will feel like a deep ache.  This feeling is only temporary.  Then depending on the method used the needle will be kept in with or without electrical stimulation for a designated amount of time or partially withdrawn and pressed in using a method called the “Pistoning Technique.”  This Pistoning Technique would be repeated several times or until the doctor determines the appropriate stimulus has occurred. 

What to expect after treatment

Typically, the majority of patients who experience dry needling will be sore in the area needled for one to three days on average.  You also may see some bruising in the treated area which may last up to a week.  Also, you may experience complete symptom relief after one visit but typically it takes two to three visits.

History

The term “Dry Needling” was first coined by Dr. Janet Travell in the early 1940’s when researching ways to treat trigger points which are knotted tender areas that develop in muscles.  Dr. Travell, along with Dr. David Simons, were pioneers in creating treatments for musculoskeletal pain.  On one experiment, which involved injecting trigger point sites with various substances such as corticosteroids, analgesics, and saline, she found similar results.  Since then, numerous medical studies have found no difference between injections of different substances and Dry Needling in the treatment of musculoskeletal pain.  Dry Needling has continued to improve in both techniques and methods.