Dry Needling

Dry needling is a modality that physical therapists use to improve pain, increase range of motion, and relax muscles. It is performed by inserting a small monofilament needle into the skin and muscle. It targets myofascial trigger points in the muscle, which are hyperirritable nodules in the muscle that can cause referred pain. Dry needling has 3 main mechanisms of action: 1) Local twitch response- Dry needling will cause a local twitch response that improves the length and tension of a muscle. 2) Improved blood flow- Dry needling causes vasodilation of blood vessels leading to improved blood flow and oxygenation. 3) Neurophysiological effects- Dry needling restores homeostasis at the site of the trigger point which will cause reduction in pain. One or more of these mechanisms can be helpful in treating a wide variety of conditions. If your pain or restriction stems from soft tissue limitations dry needling is a great treatment. At PhysioFit Physical Therapy and Sports Performance we utilize two dry needling techniques. The first technique is dry needling with electrical stimulation in which we insert one or more needles into or around your painful area, and then we connect a device to generate a twitch response. This twitch response is used to relax or release the muscle. The second technique is intramuscular dry needling in which we insert a needle into the skin and muscle in order to reach the myofascial trigger point and induce a twitch response. The twitch response will in turn cause a "resetting" or relaxing of the muscle. If you or anybody you know experiences soft tissue pain (tight muscles, headaches, tension, muscle strains, etc.) reach out to us at PhysioFIt and we would love to work with you!