Have you often wondered if acupuncture could help you?  If so maybe dry needling is right for you.

Dry needling is a technique developed by a medical physician to treat muscle and nerve pain.  This technique uses very thin needles (much finer then a sewing needle) to help reduce muscle tension and pain.  These needles are the same needles used in acupuncture.  Dry needling directly targets tight muscles and areas where nerves are located, to help reduce pain.  This technique can be used to treat headaches, neck pain, low back pain, hip pain, knee pain, tennis elbow, muscle strains, and much more.   Since the needles are so thin, patients can barely feel them.  I will often have patients tell me that they can barely feel the needles during treatment.

Prior to a patient’s first dry needling session, a thorough history will be taken and an examination will be performed.  Certain locations will be selected for treatment based on several factors (one factor will include locations of muscle pain).

During treatment patients will feel a slight pressure (or will not even feel the needle at all), and sometimes the area will feel slightly warm (this is due to increase blood flow to the treatment area).  The needles do not stay in for a long duration of time (unlike acupuncture), but they are left in for a few seconds up to a few minutes before being removed. Patients will often times feel a relaxation in the muscles after treatment.  If you have any more questions about what dry needling is or how this therapy can help you, feel free to contact us.