Dry needling uses thin needles that penetrate the skin and can treat many musculoskeletal issues, such as neck, shoulder, back, and hip pain.

What is Dry Needling?

Dry needling is a safe, minimally discomforting, and effective technique for treating certain musculoskeletal conditions. Dry needling is a treatment performed by skilled, trained physical therapists, certified in this procedure.

Dry needling treats muscle tissue, and its goal is to reduce pain, inactivate trigger points and restore function. It rarely is a standalone procedure. Rather, it often is part of a broader physical therapy approach incorporating other traditional physical therapy interventions into treatment.

How is Dry Needling performed?

A skilled therapist uses a thin monofilament needle to penetrate the skin and treats underlying muscular trigger points for the management of neuromusculoskeletal pain and movement impairments.

While it uses similar tools, dry needling is not the same as acupuncture. Acupuncture is based on Eastern medicine, while dry needling is rooted in Western medicine and an evaluation of pain patterns, posture, movement restrictions, and orthopedic tests.