Dry Needling involves the use of single use sterile fine/acupuncture needles. It's used to target myofascial trigger points which are hyper irritable taut bands of muscle. Myofascial trigger points can usually be palpated as a firm modules under the skin.
Myofascial trigger points are thought to be responsible for causing referred pain, muscle weakness, restrictions in range of motion (ROM) or altered muscle activation patterns.
Dry Needling has been shown to result in a 'local twitch response' and increases muscle blood flow and thus oxygenation. This leads to improvements in ROM, decreased muscle tone, increased pressure pain threshold and provides pain relief. Dry needling can also be carried out to a superficial or deep tissue level.
If you are interested in trying dry needling, book in with us!
Please note that only certain physiotherapists are dry needling practitioners.