Dry needling is a form of therapy in which fine needles are inserted into myofascial trigger points (painful knots in muscles): tendons, ligaments or nerves in order to stimulate a healing response in painful musculoskeletal conditions. Though acupuncture uses the same needles, the treatment varies in application and intent. Acupuncture, from an Oriental medicine background, attempts to affect the “Qi” by placing needles along traditional Chinese meridians for the treatment of diseases. where as dry needling is a modern, science-based intervention for the treatment of pain and dysfunction in musculoskeletal problems.
Drowsiness, tiredness or dizziness and minor bleeding can occur after treatment but these are transitory. Dry Needling is very safe as serious side effects can occur in less than 0.01%treatments. These serious risks can easily be avoided with someone like a Phyiscal Therapist who are the experts in anatomy and physiology. Risk is also mitigated in our use of high quality, single use needles.
An easier question might be what is it not used for. It can be used for trigger point release in nearly any body part, scar heeling, arthritis, sciatica, neuropathy, plantar fasciitis, headaches, carpal tunnel and much more.