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Dry Needling is a safe and minimally discomforting practise used by trained Therapists for those with musculoskeletal presentations (which us Sports Therapists are experts of). Using a small monofilament needle, it penetrates the skin to target specific ‘trigger points’ to manage neuromuscular conditions and movement impairment.
The similarities between Dry Needling and Acupuncture stop once you know that they both use very similar tools; however, Dry Needling uses Western medicinal practises, whilst Acupuncture focuses on the use of Eastern medicinal practise. It is worth noting that a study by Hu et al in June 2018 found that Dry Needling was found to be more effective initially (for alleviating pain intensity and functional disability of Lower-Back Pain), but then became equally effective upon follow-up interventions compared to Acupuncture. In other words, it is more effective when used in initial treatment sessions and becomes less effective upon continual use.
Trigger Points are localised areas of ‘tight’ muscle fibre or band which is the cause of restricted movement, pain and/ or tenderness. The practise of Dry Needling, therefore, is to decrease the tightness of the structure, decrease the local pain and tenderness, and improve ROM (Range Of Motion). It is common to use this specific treatment method with additional modalities such as Soft-Tissue massage, as it rarely improves function on its own which lasts a considerable amount of time.
In some cases, the use of Dry Needling has sped up the healing/ recovery time of an injury. The thought behind this is that it increases local blood flow to the area being ‘triggered’, causing your body’s natural healing mechanisms to start over and repeat in a more efficient manner.
With anything in practise, there are some cons to Dry Needling, which should be explained before your first encounter. Most of them are only minor precautions to keep in mind, but nevertheless, they should be at least listed;
1. Soreness during or after treatment.
2. Bleeding of the area where the needle was inserted.
3. Fainting (if blood pressure is an issue).
4. Fatigue (just like a Massage, the muscle is being worked on).
5. Bruising (as you are increasing the blood flow and bringing it closer to the surface).
Rarely, there is an issue when the needle is inserted wrong and it punctures a major organ. In the case of a pneumothorax (a collapsed lung) when the needle has been inserted too deeply into the chest, you can suddenly find it hard to breathe, or you may see you lips changing to a shade of blue. In which case, you will need to seek medical attention, usually by going to A&E quickly.
I hope this was useful in shedding some light onto this very specific treatment modality.
Let me know what you think of it (if you have had it done before) below in the comments!
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