Dry Needling is inserting acupuncture needles into tight knots or bands in muscles. It has a sound physiological basis and is a safe and effective form of pain management for musculoskeletal pain, inflammation and osteoarthritis.
The approach is based on Western anatomical and neurophysiological principles. It should not be confused with the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) technique of acupuncture.
Does Acupuncture (Dry Needling) hurt?
The needles are only quarter of a millimetre thick, much narrower than a hypodermic syringe so they tend to pass between body cells. Some patients don’t feel them, others describe a deep ache, warm feeling or dull burning. Occasionally someone feels nauseas and if patients do not like the needles, we use other techniques to release the muscle tension.
What conditions benefit from Acupuncture (Dry Needling)?
- Tight muscles
- Pain, by altering chemicals in parts of the brain and spinal cord which inhibit pain
- Local inflammation causing less pain and swelling with more movement of affected joints
- Osteoarthritis (wear and tear)
- Back pain
- Neck pain
- Headaches and Migraines
- Tennis elbow
NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) recommend acupuncture as a treatment or to be used in conjunction with other treatments for low back pain. We follow these guide lines for low back pain and many other conditions.