Dry needling is a clinical treatment that utilizes a very small diameter needle placed into painful soft tissue (muscles, tendons, capsules, ligaments, etc).
The placement of the needle is based on the patient's unique evaluation findings to directly address each patient's pain and dysfunction.
The small needle used in dry needling varies in length depending on where in the body the needle is placed- safety is always the main focus of treatment!
Is Dry Needling the same as Acupuncture?
Acupuncture uses eastern medicine principles like meridans and qi that were developed thousands of years ago to treat physical, mental and emotional pathologies.
Dry Needling utilizes the western medicine principles like neurology, physiology, and anatomy to treat neuro-physiological pathologies like decreased mobility, strength, function and pain.
While Acupuncuture and dry needling may utilize the same monofilament needle, their ideology and treatment approach is significantly different.
How can Dry Needling help you?
There are many benefits of dry needling because it manages soft tissue inflammation and positively influences the function of your nervous system!
Some of the benefits you can experience with dry needling incorporated into your PT treatment:
Improved blood flow
Release of tension in muscles
Decreased pain
Increase in range of motion
Increase in muscle strength
Improved daily function
Who can Dry Needle & What does their training look like?
In many states, many medical providers have the legal right to perform dry needling treatment, including Physical (PT) and occupational therapists (OT), chiropractors (DC), and Physicians.
PT’s have attended 6-8 years of higher education to study the function of the human body and its anatomy.
In order to practice dry needling our clinicians participated in continuing education course work that provided them the advanced knowledge and psychomotor skills required to safely and effectively deliver dry needle treatment to our patients.