Dry needling is a highly-effective, innovative technique to restore muscle function and inflammation. Dry needling uses a small microfilament needle to target a trigger point or taut band of muscle. These are the same needles that are used for acupuncture. This causes a micro-injury within the muscle. Now, this might seem counterintuitive - why would you want to cause an injury?

 

The micro-injury tells your brain to release chemicals to help break up the knot, eliminate the inflammation, and get your body functioning properly. This is one of our favorite techniques because the outcomes are so quick and effective! 

 

However, a trigger point is actually a signal from your brain that the surrounding muscles/joints are not functioning and/or stabilizing properly. Therefore, it is super important to couple dry needling with therapeutic exercise to re-train your muscles and your brain to work the way they should. 

 

Does dry needling hurt? Most of the time the answer is no - you typically don’t feel the needle at all. There are some instances that the needle can feel like a pinch or pressure, but this mild discomfort only lasts for a couple of seconds. 

 

Is Dry Needling safe? Yes! We use sterile needles, so you don’t have to worry about infection. The needles are also so small that you rarely even bleed and if you do, it’s just a drop! You might experience some minor soreness or bruising afterwards, but nothing worse than normal muscle soreness.