Dry Needling is a procedure in which thin, solid needle filaments are inserted into the painful areas of muscles or tissues of the body. The needles penetrate through the skin into the sensitive myofascial trigger points (irritable hard knots within the muscle) and stimulate the underlying injured muscles to relieve pain. These fine needles deactivate the sensitive trigger points thereby decreasing pain and restoring the normal muscle functions. These needles do not inject any medication into the body.
Indications
Dry needling is generally indicated to relieve acute and chronic pain by promoting muscle healing after an injury. The procedure can be used to treat various orthopaedic conditions, injuries and sports-related muscular pain. Some of them include:
- Muscle strains
- Neck and back pain
- Shoulder, hip and knee pain
- Tennis or golfers elbow (elbow pain from overuse)
- Tendinitis (Inflamed tendons)
- Headaches
- Sciatica (pain extending down the sciatica nerve in the leg)