Do you experience muscle pain, stiffness, or limited range of motion? Consider dry needling as a therapy treatment to help you get moving! Here’s how it works. In dry needling, very thin needles are inserted into trigger points, a tight band in a muscle, to relieve pain and help restore normal function. Among the many potential advantages, dry needling can be used to treat short-term and long-term pain without the use of medications or surgical procedures.

People often ask me if it’s the same thing as acupuncture. Dry needling is not acupuncture, though it does involve the same kinds of needles and you can see a licensed acupuncturist for this treatment. Dry needling and acupuncture have different philosophies, Chinese medicine versus Western medicine and use different treatment methods.

I took a year-long Chinese medicine program in acupuncture during my chiropractic training and have been practicing it for over 24 years. I also perform dry needling. Recently, dry needling has become more common place, and more health care professionals are trained in it including physical and occupational therapists.

What it does

Inserting a needle into a muscle creates a stimulus that makes the muscle twitch. It’s like resetting the muscle towards a more normal, natural muscle tone.

Used to treat:

• Low back pain
• Headaches
• Neck pain
• Sports medicine injuries

What to expect during your appointment

Like any medical exam, we will discuss your medical history, discuss the problem you are having and I will examine you. I’ll be looking for trigger and pain points, spasms and limits to your range of motion.

After the exam, if I think you are a good candidate for dry needling, we will talk about the pros and cons of doing it.

What happens during dry needling

A very thin needle will be inserted into various muscles and trigger points in your body.  Because the needles are so fine, they are supported with a plastic sleeve. Most people don’t even feel the needle. Others describe it as tingling or a sense of vibration, pressure or pulling.

Some treatments are as short as five minutes and others can take as long as 30 minutes or more. Depending on what needs to be done, needles may be left still, may be moved around in the muscle or electrical stimulation may be applied to help better treat certain trigger points.

The area of the body, the thickness of the muscle and the reason for treatment, will determine how deep I place the needle and how many needles I use. There are usually between four and ten needles.

Most people feel fine after a treatment while some people may feel muscle soreness.

Results

Dry needling usually takes about six visits two times a week for three weeks. Most people will notice results in as little as one to two sessions, but some people can take up to six. If you get to six visits with no relief, then we need to look for other options.

I work with several of the local sports teams and they tend to get relief pretty quickly. I had an athlete that had a large muscle spasm like a golf ball in his muscle that went away after one treatment. That was pretty awesome. I also have chronic pain patients that find relief after years of trying other treatments and wish they had tried dry needling sooner.

Risks

Dry needling is very safe. We clean the skin with alcohol and use sterile, one-time use needles. We are well aware of anatomical concerns such as major nerves or blood vessels and stay away from those areas. I have been using needles in my practice for over 24 years and have never had a patient develop a needle related problem or infection.

Insurance Coverage

Ask your insurance company if they cover dry needling or acupuncture as many companies are expanding their cover of this service.

My advice

People come in not knowing what to expect and ask all kinds of questions about the process. I tell them it is no more painful than being bit by a mosquito. Why not give it a try especially if other things haven’t worked or you’ve been suffering for years? The results can be amazing.

Talk to your provider about dry needling as a treatment option or call us to learn more.

Robb Reed, DC, CCSP
Perham Health Chiropractor

Dr. Reed is a chiropractor and acupuncturist. He did post graduate work in sports medicine and sports injury and is also a paramedic with Perham Area EMS.