DRY NEEDLING
What is Dry Needling?
Dry needling is a specialised treatment that involves inserting a very thin, sterile needle into the skin to target trigger points—tight knots in muscles that cause pain and discomfort. This technique helps release muscle tension, improve blood flow, and promote natural healing, making it effective for pain relief, mobility improvement, and injury recovery.
Why Is It Called Dry Needling?
Dry needling gets its name because it uses a thin, solid (dry) needle without injecting any liquid or medication. Unlike wet needling, which involves injecting substances like anesthetics or steroids, dry needling focuses on stimulating trigger points to relieve muscle tension, improve circulation, and promote natural healing.
At Armos Integrated Therapy, our expert therapists use dry needling to help patients recover from muscle pain, stiffness, and mobility issues. This safe and effective technique is ideal for sports injuries, chronic pain, and musculoskeletal conditions.
Trigger Point?
Trigger points, also known as muscle 'knots,' are sensitive spots in soft tissue that can cause pain and discomfort. When too many trigger points develop, they can lead to a condition called myofascial pain syndrome, characterized by chronic muscle pain and stiffness. These hyperirritable spots appear as palpable nodules within taut bands of skeletal muscle fibers. Applying direct pressure on a trigger point may cause local tenderness, an involuntary twitch response, or even referred pain in other areas of the body.
Dry needling is a specialised technique used to target and stimulate specific trigger points, promoting a healing response in neuromuscular conditions. By inserting a fine needle into the affected muscle, dry needling helps release tension, improve circulation, and restore normal function, making it an effective treatment for pain relief and muscle rehabilitation
Is Dry Needling Painful?
Is It The Same As Acupuncture?
During dry needling treatment, patients may experience a mild, dull ache, which can last for up to 24 hours post-treatment. Some discomfort may also occur during the rapid ‘twitch response,’ but it is minimal and typically lasts only a few seconds.
After the session, mild to moderate muscle soreness is expected as the body responds to the treatment. To reduce discomfort and speed up recovery, patients are encouraged to stay hydrated, perform gentle stretching, and apply heat to the affected muscles.
No, dry needling is not the same as acupuncture. While both use thin needles, dry needling targets trigger points in muscles to relieve pain and improve mobility, whereas acupuncture is based on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and focuses on balancing the body's energy (Qi) through specific meridian points.