Dry needling is an efficient treatment of trigger points (tensions in muscles) by use of needles to reduce tensions/pain in the muscles.
The needle is placed in a muscle with the aim of releasing the tension in the muscle.
Dry needling is not the same as acupuncture. The basis for the dry needling technique comes from western medicine. Based on a thorough analysis it is also possible to identify predictors of the tension/trigger point. When the trigger point causing the pain is localized, the needles are set to influence the muscle fibers and reduce the tension. This gives pain relief.
Treatment with needles is not more painful than a needle stick. You should expect to become a bit stiff after the treatment, as a part of the muscle is destroyed each time a needle is penetrated. This stiffness can be compared to stiffness perceived after exercising, where the same process happens to the muscles. Like exercising stiffness the stiffness following needle treatment disappears after a day or two, although there are individual differences. You need to try to find out how long time it takes for you for the stiffness to go away.
The needles that are used are the same needles used for acupuncture. The needles are packed individually in sterile packing and each needle is used only once and thereafter thrown away as medical waste.
