What is dry needling and will it help me?
This is a question Osteopathic practitioners who provide dry needling will often be asked. To put it simply dry needling is a treatment modality involving placing a very thin needle roughly the thickness of your hair into a specific point in a muscle or into other soft tissue structures such as tendons or ligaments. As the name ‘Dry’ needling suggests, there is no release of any substance from the needle through this application.
Dry needling is effective in the different ways it can influence soft tissue structures. If a muscle is under- active or isn’t contracting as it should, inserting the dry needle into a specific point in that muscle will elicit a twitch response which can help with the activation of the muscle. On the other hand, if a muscle or other soft tissue structure is over- active or tight, dry needling can be used to reduce this overactivity and help restore normal function.
How is dry needling different to acupuncture?
Firstly, there are some similarities between dry needling and acupuncture as both use the same type of filament needles. Acupuncture is more Chinese medicine-based and is a practice where the needles are inserted along ancient Chinese medicine meridian lines. The aim of this is to restore and balance energy flow in the body. It is often used to treat and manage things such as chronic pain, digestive concerns, reproductive problems or stress-related issues. In acupuncture, the needles will typically be left at different points in the body for a period of around 20- 30 minutes. In dry needling, the needles will be left in for a far shorter amount of time, typically 30- 40 seconds or less, although sometimes they may be left in for a little longer if required.
What type of conditions can Dry needling be used for?
Dry needling can be an effective technique in the treatment and management of a number of musculoskeletal concerns such as muscle strains, repetitive stress injuries, tendon dysfunctions, headaches/ migraines, chronic pain and general tightness.
Dry needling is rarely used by itself. Best results are often seen when it is used as an adjunctive technique to other manual therapy techniques such as joint articulation, muscle energy techniques, joint manipulation and soft tissue release.
If you think you can benefit from this treatment, our Osteopaths are here to help and are happy to answer your questions and concerns.