{"id":80256,"date":"2023-05-16T23:58:44","date_gmt":"2023-05-16T23:58:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/backintelligence.com\/?p=80256"},"modified":"2023-05-16T23:58:44","modified_gmt":"2023-05-16T23:58:44","slug":"dry-needling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/backintelligence.com\/dry-needling\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Dry Needling? Does It Work For Pain Relief?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dry needling involves sticking thin needles (filiform needles) into one\u2019s muscle tissues in order to treat tight and painful muscle knots, aka trigger points<\/a>. Muscle knots can develop from many things such as overuse of a muscle, trauma, poor posture<\/a>, improper lifting technique<\/a> and more.[1]<\/a>[2]<\/a><\/p>\n

If left untreated these tight trigger points can also contribute to a decreased range of motion, muscle weakness and referred pain.[1]<\/a>[2]<\/a><\/p>\n

There are several ways you can treat a trigger point including self massage<\/a> and stretching, but when those things don\u2019t help, or when you need a quicker intervention, dry needling may be worth a try.<\/p>\n

At back Intelligence, we don\u2019t recommend only doing dry needling. It\u2019s a modality that is best saved as a last resort or for dealing with muscle pain that has been persistent for many months with no relief in sight. Also, It\u2019s best used with other interventions, especially combined with self-massage.<\/p>\n

How Does Dry Needling Work?<\/h2>\n

There are several dry needling techniques. The quick method is when the needle is inserted and then taken out after a few seconds. The longer, more advanced method involves inserting the needles and leaving them in for as long as 25 minutes. In both cases the practitioner may move the needle to help release the trigger points even more.[2]<\/a>[3]<\/a><\/p>\n

The goal of inserting the needle into the muscle knot is to elicit a local twitch response, which in turn can release tightness in that spot. So when you feel a spot twitching\/shaking, its suggesting that it\u2019s working!<\/p>\n

Additionally, your practitioner may connect the needles to an electrical stimulation device and you will feel an electrical pulse through the needle, which can further reduce the pain intensity, and acts as a way to numb the perception of pain one might feel.<\/p>\n

\"Dry-Needling\"<\/p>\n

Does it work? What does the research say:<\/h2>\n

Dry needling is an effective modality to explore. But its important to note that dry needling relief will only last when you are also fixing the underlying issues such as poor posture, muscle imbalances, etc.<\/p>\n

Think of dry needling as treating the symptom, not the cause. It\u2019s good at providing the necessary pain relief at the exact spot you need it, but that tightness\/pain might have been caused by a completely different issue. The pain will most likely come back unless you fix the underlying cause.<\/p>\n

There are several studies showing the efficacy of Dry needling.<\/p>\n