Dry Needles - Solution to Your Hard Knot and Myofascial Pain

Trigger points are irritable, hard “knots” within a muscle that may cause pain over a large area, leading to difficulty performing everyday tasks. When a person has painful muscles and trigger points, it is sometimes called myofascial pain syndrome. Common locations for these problems are the arm and neck. Dry needling is a treatment that involves a very thin needle being pushed through the skin to stimulate a trigger point. Dry needling may release the tight muscle bands associated with trigger points and lead to decreased pain and improved function.

After reviewing many sources of information and evaluating both the quality and results of the relevant studies, the researchers determined that dry needling can be effective in providing pain relief. These studies noted that a “twitch” often occurs when a needle is inserted into the trigger point, and this “twitch” may be a sign that the treatment will be helpful.

It is one possible treatment option, usually combined with other techniques including exercises, to manage myofascial pain. we at HPE INDIA, physical therapist perform a thorough evaluation to help determine if you are a good candidate for this treatment as part of a program designed to reduce your pain and improve your function. For more information on the treatment of myofascial pain, contact our physical therapist specializing in musculoskeletal disorders.

It is important to emphasize that “dry needling” is an invasive, acupuncture needle intervention. the technique uses a “dry” needle, one without medication or injection, inserted through the skin into areas of the muscle, known as trigger points.

What is a Trigger Point?

A trigger point is a taut band of skeletal muscle located within a larger muscle group. Trigger points can be tender to the touch, and touching a trigger point may cause pain to other parts of the body.

What Kind of Needles Are Used?

Dry needling involves a thin filiform needle that penetrates the skin and stimulates underlying myofascial trigger points and muscular and connective tissues. The needle allows a physical therapist to target tissues that are not manually palpable.

Physical therapists wear gloves and appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) when dry needling, consistent with Standard Precautions, Guide to Infection Prevention for Outpatient Settings, and OSHA standards. The sterile needles are disposed of in a medical sharps collector.

Why Dry Needling?

In cases when dry needling is used by physical therapists, it is typically 1 technique that's part of a larger treatment plan.

Physical therapists use dry needling with the goal of releasing or inactivating trigger points to relieve pain or improve range of motion. Preliminary research 2 supports that dry needling improves pain control, reduces muscle tension, and normalizes dysfunctions of the motor end plates, the sites at which nerve impulses are transmitted to muscles. This can help speed up the patient's return to active rehabilitation.

some images of dry needling performed at HPE advance physical therapy personalized studio on client suffering from orthopedics and sports injuries 

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