Dry Needling
What is dry needling and how does it work?
Dry needling is the use of a filament needle into tight, stiff or painful muscles, and is used to relieve these symptoms. Dry needling is thought to decrease your symptoms by affecting the local area via physiological and chemical changes in conjunction with central nervous system responses.
Facts About Dry Needling
Dry needling VS Acupuncture
Dry needling is a western treatment option performed by placing needles into taut muscle fibres. Acupuncture is based on Eastern Chinese medicine treatment focusing on your body’s meridians.
What to expect
Dry needling can be done in a conservative way to minimise discomfort. The practitioner will often get a ‘twitch’ response from the underlying tissue which may cause some slight pain at the time but will be monitored by your practitioner. Needles may be inserted for anywhere between 30 seconds to 10 minutes depending on the condition which is being treated.
After your treatment
Dry needling can cause some adverse effects such as pain/bruising/swelling in the local area within the first 24 hours after your treatment. The use of heat in the hours afterwards will reduce pain. If bruising has occurred, then you should ice the area (as soon as possible) for 10minutes to reduce the severity of bruising.
Contraindication for needling
Please inform your Practitioner if you are:
- on blood thinners such as aspirin or Warfarin
- If you are pregnant, or trying to get pregnant and may be in the early stages of pregnancy
- If you have any skin infections
Risks
Risks are minimal and our Practitioners are highly trained, but can include damage to viscera (including lungs and other organ tissues) and bruising/swelling as mentioned above. Our Practitioners have all had advanced training to negate these risks.
Book a treatment with one of our skilled Practitioners* today to experience dry needling.
*Myotherapy and Osteopathy practitioners can all incorporate dry needling into their treatments