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Using Needles To Treat Painful Muscles

Sometimes tightness in a muscle can be painful, tender, and restrict your ability to move. Health care providers call these areas trigger points. Dry needling is a treatment method that has shown to increase blood flow to trigger points to relieve pain and restore movement.

While the tools used in dry needling are similar to acupuncture, the treatments are not the same. Dry needling is typically performed by specially trained physical therapists or doctors. Other forms of physical therapy like exercise or stretches often accompany dry needling.

The treatment involves carefully inserting very thin needles into your skin at your trigger points. The needles remain in the skin for a matter of seconds, or up to 15 minutes depending on your type of pain. The needles stimulate your tissues, increase blood flow to the area, and relieve pain. They do not inject medication.

Dry needling is used to treat muscle soreness in many areas of the body including the neck, shoulders, jaw, back, hips and other joints. It is not recommended if you are pregnant or afraid of needles.

Side effects are minor and may include soreness, bruising, and bleeding at the insertion site. Most people report that dry needling is not painful.

Ask your health care provider if dry needling is right for you.

Source: American Physical Therapy Association