On pins and needles: Just what is dry needling?

You may have heard of a treatment called dry needling and wondered what it is or if it’s right for you.

While the name of the procedure may sound intimidating, dry needling is an accessible and commonly offered therapy for people with muscle, ligament or tendon pain.

Dry needling basics

During a dry needling treatment, one or more thin, monofilament needles are inserted into a muscle trigger point. A trigger point is a local band of tight, irritable and dysfunctional muscle tissue. This often emerges because of injury, overuse or poor movement patterns.

Trigger points can disrupt your muscle function, restrict your range of motion or cause pain and tenderness. Physical therapists or licensed acupuncturists perform an in-depth evaluation to determine if dry needling is appropriate. Then they discuss your symptoms while assessing mobility and muscle function to determine if trigger points are contributing to symptoms.

When dry needling is applied to an affected muscle or trigger point, it can decrease muscle tightness, increase blood flow and reduce pain. Patients often report immediate relief after treatment. The needles remain in your muscle for a short period of time — between 10 seconds and 20 minutes — during treatment. This depends on the treatment location, number of needles used and treatment goals.

Dry needling usually is paired with exercise and other physical therapy techniques to prevent trigger points from reoccurring.

The needles used are solid and don’t inject liquid into your body. It’s the reason this treatment is referred to as “dry.” All forms of acupuncture use dry needles.

Dry needling is a safe technique for treating many musculoskeletal conditions, including shoulder pain, rotator cuff pain, biceps tendinitis, iliotibial band syndrome, Achilles tendinitis, low back pain, tennis elbow, whiplash or neck pain, headaches, muscle strains, hip pain and temporomandibular pain, also called TMJ.

Dry needling is performed by physical therapists and licensed acupuncturists trained in the procedure. Certification requirements vary by state. Most people report minor or no discomfort during treatment.

DREAMSTIME/TNS During a dry needling treatment, one or more thin, monofilament needles are inserted into a muscle trigger point. Most patients report no pain, or little pain.