What is dry needling?
Dry needling is a method of using a small needle to reach a muscle that has been found to contribute to your current symptoms or limitations. Muscles can develop “trigger points”, which is like a knot in a muscle that can cause referral pain or abnormalities of movements and mechanics. The needle is used to reach these trigger points to help them relax, and in turn the goal is to decrease your pain and improve your movement and function.

Is it safe?
Yes, dry needling is very safe! The risk for a significant adverse effect is less than 0.04%. That is less than the risk of significant adverse effects with taking anti-inflammatories and pain medications! * Some smaller adverse effects you may experience include bruising, discomfort during treatment, or bleeding at insertion site, but these are temporary and will not have long lasting effects. When you are talking with your therapist whether dry needling would be a good fit, be sure to be honest when discussing your past medical history so your therapist can make sure you are a good candidate.

How to prepare?
Wear or bring clothes that allow the therapist to reach the muscle group that will be needled. Such as a sleeveless tank top if they are looking at your shoulder or neck, or shorts if looking at hip or thigh. That is it! Your therapist will discuss with you whether you are a good candidate for dry needling and discuss your medical history to make sure you are appropriate. The dry needling process is pretty quick overall, so dry needling is typically a short part of your treatment session.

What is the difference between dry needle and acupuncture?/Is dry needling the same thing as acupuncture?
Dry needling and acupuncture use similar needles, but that is pretty much where the similarities end. Acupuncture and dry needling use different techniques and they require different training. The method, length of treatment, and reasoning for doing dry needling and acupuncture are very different. With dry needling, the goal is to use the needle to directly target the “trigger point”, or the area of the muscle that seems to be contributing to your issues. The therapists at Smith PT + that do dry needling are trained specifically for dry needling only.

What to expect.
With dry needling, the small needle is inserted directly into the muscle, looking to reach the trigger point that was found during your therapist's assessment. You may experience twitching when the needle reaches the trigger point, which is a good thing because it means the needle is reaching the targeted area. The therapist will stay in that area until the twitching or localized discomfort is gone, indicating the needle has helped that trigger point, or knot, to relax. Often, you may experience some discomfort in the area of the dry needling, not necessarily from feeling the needle, but from reaching the trigger point which indicates an abnormality in the muscle or fascia. The twitching and discomfort should fade once the trigger point has relaxed. Your therapist may find other trigger points along that muscle or neighboring muscles if appropriate, but overall, the process is pretty quick! You may feel sore after, like you just did a heavy workout. But for the most part, that soreness is very short lived, and you should feel better after. Your therapist will encourage you to keep moving and stretching afterwards to keep the blood flowing and keep that mobility now that the trigger points have been addressed.

What happens after?
Everyone responds differently, and every time may feel different as well. Oftentimes, you may feel a little sore after the dry needling, which can last anywhere from a few minutes to maybe a few hours. It is unlikely that the soreness will last longer than that. Bruising is not uncommon, but not a concern as you will likely not feel bruised after. Your therapist will encourage you to keep moving and stretching so help keep the blood flowing and to improve any soreness you may feel. You can use a little heat or massage to help with any soreness, but otherwise, you can continue all your normal activities without any concerns.

How often can you do dry needling?
There is not really a right or wrong answer to this question, but this will be determined by you and your therapist. Typically you will want at least a day to rest between sessions before you do the same muscle, but you can also dry needle a different part of the muscle or surrounding muscle groups, if appropriate, while you give that one area some time to rest. Often, it will not take too many sessions dry needling the same area, as the idea is to address that trigger point, then use functional exercises and stretching to prevent that trigger point from returning. Dry needling is not a “cure” to your issues, but will be used in conjunction with appropriate exercises and movements to target the bigger picture.





*Brady S, McEvoy J, Dommerholt J, Doody C. Adverse events following trigger point dry needling: a prospective survey of chartered physiotherapists. J Man Manip Ther. 2014 Aug;22(3):134-40.