Dry-Needling Specialist

What is dry needling?

Myofascial Trigger Point Dry Needling is a treatment to restore proper function to abnormally behaving muscles. Dry needling utilizes sterile, thin monofilament needles. This technique is typically used in areas with tight bands or knots in the muscle. Dry needling aids in helping the muscle contracture release to its normal length while increasing circulation and decreasing pain. Releasing the trigger points also reduces tension in the myofascial, which in turn reduces tension pulling on the muscles.

How does dry needling help?

Dry needling releases or inactivates trigger points to relieve pain and improve range of motion. This treatment helps to improve pain control, reduce tension, and speed the patient’s return to normal activity. Dry needling is typically combined with other forms of treatment to supplement any manual or device therapy or exercised based rehabilitation.  If you think this treatment might be beneficial, contact Advantage Physical Therapy today to set up an appointment.

What are Trigger Points?

A trigger point is, in effect, a spasm in a tiny portion of a muscle. Trigger points can form anywhere but are most often found in the center of the muscle.  A trigger point feels like a small, hard “knot” in the muscle; they are often described as feeling like there is a BB or a pea under the skin. These small knots are often responsible for quite a lot of pain.

Trigger points are often overlooked due to something called referred pain, which means that pain is felt somewhere other than where the actual problem is. While trigger points are usually extremely painful if they are touched, they don’t usually cause pain in the area where they are located. Instead, they refer pain to other parts of the body. For instance, trigger points in the sternocleidomastoid muscle of the neck is a common cause of headaches.