Dry Needling

 Dry needling involves using a thin filiform needle to penetrate the skin and stimulate the underlying myofascial trigger points and muscular and connective tissues. It is often asked if dry needling is similar to acupuncture. The answer is yes and no. Dry needling can be considered a westernized acupuncture in which we are using the same needles but for a different purpose. Instead of placing needles across the body claiming to move energy and chi we are using the same needles to target specific muscles, tendons and nerves with 2 main purposes. By puncturing the skin with the needle we are creating a slight internal injury, this in turn creates a greater facilitation of blood flow to the area that we are needling. All healing in the human body is dictated by blood flow. Therefore we can facilitate faster healing through dry needling by generating more blood flow to an area. This method of needling works well for tendon and nerve injuries. These two types of tissue typically get poor blood flow and thus take longer to heal. The other main purpose of dry needling is to release hypertonic musculature. When muscles develop knots (or trigger points) the muscle is stuck in a contracted state that causes the buildup of chemicals and toxins within the muscle. When the needle inserts into a muscle knot it punctures what's called the neuromuscular junction. This results in a twitch response where the muscle may spasm and release the toxins back out of the muscle. The end result is muscle tissue with restored tone. Dry needling works very well and is a preferred technique in physical therapy today. Please see the link below for photos of examples of dry needling on various conditions. 

​

*Dry needling is included in treatment sessions without extra charge

*We offer 20 minute dry needling only sessions for $50/session