Dry needling is an emerging treatment for myofascial trigger points—those tender, twitchy “knots” in your back or neck that cause muscle pain. Physical therapists are clinicians who typically perform this treatment.
But with a small body of evidence and questions among some state licensing boards, dry needling isn’t widely available in Australia. However, that may change as more patients demand safe, effective, non-drug therapies to manage pain. You can hop over to this website to learn what services Fairfield chiropractors are offering.
Physical therapists have an arsenal of tools to help ease trigger point pain—and dry needling is just one of them. Like many physical therapy modalities, dry needling may be a safe way to ease your spinal muscle pain. However, it’s not a magic bullet. Your physical therapist will likely pair dry needling with other treatments—such as massage or heat therapy—and teach you ways to take care of yourself at home to give you the best chance of banishing your painful trigger points for good.
With dry needling, a physical therapist injects thin filiform needles (just like the ones used in acupuncture) into a painful trigger point. Gently moving the needles stimulates blood flow to the trigger point, which may help relax tight muscles. Researchers also think the technique blocks pain signals, but they’re not exactly sure how dry needling eases pain.