Dry-Needling Therapy

Dry Needling therapy (DNT) is an advanced and specialised manual therapy approach to the treatment of myofascial pain and dysfunction (pain that arises from the muscles and connective tissue). It is the application and insertion of fine filiform needles, similar to those used in acupuncture, into the musculoskeletal system to deactivate trigger points (‘knots’ within the muscle that cause widespread pain, weakness, and loss of function) and to alter dysfunctional neurological (nerve) and pain reporting mechanisms.

Myofascial pain syndrome is a common painful muscle disorder caused by myofascial trigger points. This must be differentiated from fibromyalgia syndrome, which involves multiple tender spots or tender points. These pain syndromes are often concomitant and may interact with one another. According to Doctors Janet Travell and David Simons in their widely acclaimed medical textbook, ‘Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction: The Trigger Point Manual’, myofascial trigger points are tiny knots that develop in a muscle when it is injured or overworked.

The defining symptom of a trigger point is referred pain; that is, trigger points usually send their pain to some other site. This is the reason conventional treatments for pain so often fail. It's a mistake to assume that the problem is at the place that hurts. Travell and Simons' research has shown that trigger points are the primary cause of pain seventy-five percent of the time and are at least a part of nearly every pain problem.

The initial treatment of trigger points should be focussed upon the elimination of predisposing and perpetuating factors in chronic muscle overuse, and to minimise as much as possible the likelihood of musculoskeletal injury through biomechanical stress. Manual therapy applications commonly utilised to treat trigger points include variations of massage and digital point pressure therapy, neuromuscular therapies such as muscle energy and postural release techniques, temperature therapies, ultrasound, electrical therapy (TENS) and dry-needling therapy.

Dry-needling therapy is a primary modality of clinical myotherapy, a branch of manual medicine which focuses on the treatment and management of musculoskeletal pain; pain arising from the muscles, joints, and associated connective tissue, however DNT is also practiced by many varied medical and allied health professionals including Osteopaths, Chiropractors, Physiotherapists, Podiatrists, Remedial Massage Therapists, Naturopaths, and Medical Doctors.

Historically, dry-needling therapy has been around for many years. Deep dry needling for treating trigger points was first introduced by Czech physician Karel Lewit in 1979 and subsequent therapists such as Chan Gunn (intramuscular dry-needling therapy), and Peter Baldry (superficial dry-needling therapy) have both published works on different applications since. All of the techniques are based upon the life-long work of Dr. Janet Travell and Dr. David Simons, who published their extensive findings in the 1983 book ‘Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction’, a pioneering work in the assessment and treatment of acute and chronic pain.

DNT is used in the treatment of a wide range of musculoskeletal conditions including acute and chronic pain, biomechanical dysfunction and postural issues. It has been shown through research to be one of the safest and most highly effective modalities in the treatment of pain especially that relating to back, neck, shoulder and limb pain, and can assist in many causes of headache and sciatic problems.

Although DNT and acupuncture use the same tool in the single-use needle, they differ in philosophy. Acupuncture is a system developed many thousands of years ago that works specifically with the movement of Qi (chi) through the meridians, the body’s innate energy that circulates everything in the body. DNT differs in that it focuses specifically on the biomedical causes of musculoskeletal pain within the body, stimulating the body’s own pain reporting mechanisms in the nervous system and assisting to ‘turn it down’. DNT does this by increasing blood flow, feeding oxygen and nutrients to tissues, removing toxins and debris that cause irritation, and stimulating the body to release its potent ‘pain-killing’ hormones such as endorphins and dopamine. Unlike pharmaceuticals such as ibuprofen, paracetamol, and aspirin that mask pain, DNT assists to treat the pain and dysfunction at the cause thereby removing the reason for it to exist.

If you suffer from musculoskeletal pain, improper posture, weakness, and reduced function, as a result of work, athletic or recreational activity, or have seen other practitioners without the results that you desire, it may be time to give DNT a go. It is quick, safe, effective and in most cases painless.