Dry Needling

Dry Needling involves multiple advances of a filament needle into the muscle in the region of a “Trigger Point’. The aim of Dry Needling is to achieve a local twitch response to release muscle tension and pain. Dry needling is an effective treatment for chronic pain of neuropathic origin with very few side effects. This technique is unequalled in finding and eliminating neuromuscular dysfunction that leads to pain and functional deficits. Research supports that dry needling improves pain control, reduces muscle tension, normalises biochemical and electrical dysfunction of motor endplates, and facilitates an accelerated return to active rehabilitation.

The needle used is very thin and most subjects do not even feel it penetrate the skin. A healthy muscle feels hardly any discomfort with the insertion of this needle. However, if the muscle is sensitive and shortened or has active trigger points within it, the subject will feel a sensation like a muscle cramp -‘the twitch response’, and will be initially sore. The soreness recedes very rapidly though and then the needle is hardly felt at all.
The patient also may feel a reproduction of the symptomatic pain which is a helpful diagnostic indicator for the practitioner attempting to diagnose the cause of the patients symptoms. Patients soon learn to recognise this sensation and almost look forward to the sensation as it results in deactivating the trigger point, reducing pain and restoring normal length function to the involved muscle.
Dry Needling stimulates the healing process of soft tissues (muscle “trigger points”, fascia, tendons and ligaments, etc) resulting in Pain Relief and restoration of healthy physiology.

A myofascial “trigger point” is a hyperirritable point in skeletal muscle that is associated with a hypersensitive palpable nodule, the most common term for this is a “muscle knot”. This area becomes painful at the site and can also relay pain to other areas of the body causing other pain symptoms such as “tension headaches”.

Usually only mild muscle soreness or occasional skin bruising.
Research supports that dry needling improves pain control, reduces muscle tension, normalises biochemical and electrical dysfunction of motor endplates, and facilitates an accelerated return to active rehabilitation.

The objectives and philosophy behind the use of dry needling by physical therapists is not based on ancient theories or tenets of traditional Chinese medicine as Acupuncture is. The performance of modern dry needling by physical therapists is based on western neuro anatomy and modern scientific study of the musculoskeletal and nervous systems.
Both Dry Needling and Acupuncture do, however, use the same tool; a solid needle filament.

 A variety of musculoskeletal problems including, but not limited to:

• Headaches,
• Acute/Chronic injuries
• Neck/Back and Shoulder pain
• Tendinitis
• Muscle Spasms
• Sciatica
• Hip/Knee pain
• Muscle strains
• Fibromyalgia
• Tennis/Golfer’s Elbow
• PFPS,Overuse injuries, etc.

Ask your therapist at Optimum Wellbeing Gold Coast for Dry Needling within your session and see the benefits for yourself.