Dry Needling Physiotherapy

Dry needling is a term that differentiates the use of needling in a western physiological paradigm from the use of needling in an oriental paradigm which is referred to as acupuncture.

Dry needling involves needling to altered or dysfunctional tissues in order to improve or restore function. This may include needling of myofascial trigger points, periosteum and other soft tissues. Myofascial Trigger Points have been described as a hyper-irritable spots within skeletal muscle. Trigger Points are points in muscles which are painful when pushed, and they can refer pain to other areas of the body.

Dry needling addresses symptoms and restrictions found during the physical assessment. Palpation is used to identify the specific changes within the tissue, then application of the appropriate needling techniques is used. There are however limitations to this approach, and practitioners using such an approach are unlikely to achieve reliable results with the majority of the clients they see. This partly due to the limited variety in needle technique used and the reliance on the presence of trigger points.

However, when used in conjunction with other techniques, such as acupuncture or manual therapy, and under the care of an experienced practitioner, needling can be used in most cases with equal or better effect than other manual therapies, with little or no adverse side effects.