Myofascial Dry Needling

Myofascial dry needling is an invasive technique that involves the insertion of an acupuncture needle into the active trigger point. The aim of dry needling is to break up the trigger point (knot). A trigger point can be defined as a hyperirritable spot in a skeletal muscle that is painful when compressed and can cause a referral of pain, motor dysfunction and autonomic phenomena. Myofascial dry needling is a modern western modality developed in the 1940’s by Janet Travell, MD. It is not related to traditional Chinese medicine acupuncture, therefore it does not involve the body’s meridian or energy channels.

Myofascial dry needling is used in the treatment of numerous conditions such as fibromyalgia, back pain, headaches, joint pain, sport related injuries, inflammatory conditions, post-surgery symptoms as well as acute or chronic trigger point pain due to bad posture or fatigue. The needle is directed to the point of maximum tenderness within the taut band, felt on palpation. When the inserted needle penetrates into the trigger point it disrupts this taut band and may manifest as a local “twitch response” this response will be both visualized and felt. Myofasdcial dry needling helps to establish a painless range of movement during treatment, relaxes the muscles, gives pain relief, improves proprioception