Dry Needling

Dry Needling is a modality used by physiotherapists to treat movement impairments and pain that arise from trigger points/muscle tension. The thin 'dry needle' (one which does not involve injecting or withdrawing fluid) is inserted into taut, hypersensitive and palpable bands of muscle. By needling these trigger points, three responses occur in the muscle:

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1. The needle activates a stretch receptor in the muscle which causes a reflex response telling the muscle to relax.

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2. The needle causes an electrical potential in the muscle helping to normalize/reset the abnormal nerve signal that caused the muscle to contract.

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3. The needle causes a small trauma to the muscle which encourages blood flow and thus stimulates healing activity within the muscle cells.

 

As a result of the above responses, patients often feel immediate release of the muscle, improved mobility and a decrease in pain.

 

Patients with vestibular disorders may develop myofascial pain in the neck musculature. Dry needling, therefore, can be a useful adjunct to both manual physiotherapy and vestibular rehabilitation techniques in order to maximize patient recovery.

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Dry needling can only be performed by physiotherapists that have advanced post-graduate training in the technique. They must be rostered by the College of Physiotherapists of Ontario to perform this act.