When myofascial trigger points form in the muscles, they can cause pain and movement dysfunction. Researchers discovered in the 1970s that applying the needle to the trigger point, even without the addition of an analgesic injection, relieved pain. The usefulness of dry needling was therefore discovered by physician researchers and is of Western medicine origin.

The physical therapist first assesses your symptoms, comes up with a movement diagnosis, and determines what muscles may benefit from this technique. The area of the knot is wiped with an alcohol swab to prevent infection, and a sterile monofilament needle is applied to the trigger point. The muscle twitches as it releases the knot, so you can expect to feel this odd but not necessarily painful sensation. It is likely that the muscle will be sore after the procedure, as if you had a good work out, for 12-24 hours. A warm compress or heating pad is helpful to ease this soreness.

Practitioners that perform the dry needling technique are required to be certified. Our certification comes from the Institute of Advanced Musculoskeletal Treatments.

Here you can see the first two needles in the posterior deltoid. The second pair is in the supraspinatus. Application of e-stim with dry needling has been suggested to reduce overall soreness and enhance the overall pain reduction.