Accupuncture and dry needling can be used to treat nearly all sources of muscle and joint pain.

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BENEFITS

Dry needling is a modern treatment designed to ease muscular pain. Its popularity is growing. During dry needling, a practitioner inserts several filiform needles into your skin. Filiform needles are fine, short, stainless steel needles that don’t inject fluid into the body. That’s why the term “dry” is used.

Practitioners place the needles in “trigger points” in your muscle or tissue. Dry needling is also sometimes called intramuscular stimulation. The points are areas of knotted or hard muscle.

Dry needling practitioners say the needle helps release the knot and relieve any muscle pain or spasms. The needles will remain in your skin for a short period of time, often between 10 and 30 minutes.

 

In-and-out techniques

Some forms of dry needling use a technique called pistoning or sparrow pecking. Both of these techniques rely on in-and-out needle insertion. In other words, the needles don’t stay inserted in the skin for a period of time. The needles prick the trigger points and are then removed. However, research does not support this method of dry needling.

 

Non-trigger point technique

Some dry needling techniques treat a broader landscape of the central nervous system. This is called non-trigger point treatment. Instead of inserting needles only in the area of pain, the practitioner may instead insert needles in areas around but not directly on the point of pain.

This technique relies on the idea that pain is the result of a greater nerve or muscular issue, not a focused one only in the main area of pain.

 

Dry needling is most often performed by physical and sports injury therapists. Currently, dry needling practitioners don’t need extensive training to perform dry needling. No regulatory agency controls training, licensure, or supervision for this procedure.

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What are the benefits of dry needling?

Dry needling may provide relief for some muscular pain and stiffness. In addition, easing the trigger points may improve flexibility and increase range of motion. That’s why this method is often used to treat sports injuries, muscle pain, and even fibromyalgia pain.