Dry needling is a fast and effective treatment method that provides pain relief. By puncturing the muscles, a quick and long-lasting relaxation can occur. This method came over from America and Canada and has been used there successfully for years.
Dry Needling can help with:
- pain/stiffnes locally in a muscle and also with referred pain
- movement limitations also with associate joints
- decreased strength in the muscle- tingling in arms/legs, headache, dizziness
The treatment
Dry needling is a method of quickly relieving pain. After having done an intake and exam where we look at the functioning of the spine and other joints to exclude other causes, it is checked whether triggerpoints are present. The needle that is used for dry needling is thin, only 0.3mm. The needle itself is usually not felt. The trigger point is punctured with the needle. This can be experienced as a numbness or naging feeling.This might give you a cramp feeling. The muscle is stimulated by gently moving the needle back and forth. This creates what we call a local twitch response. The muscle contracts briefly. A twitch can happen multiple times. When the twitches have ceased, the needle will be removed from the muscle.
After the treatment you can experience some stiffness or a heavy feeling of the treated muscle. You can also feel a bit tired. This often lasts for a few hours and then changes to a feeling of relaxation and a decrease in pain. After treatment you will receive advise and exercises.
