Dry Needling
We provide Western Medical Acupuncture, otherwise known as Dry Needling. Dry Needling involves the application of acupuncture needles into tight, painful areas in your muscles known as “Trigger Points”, or sometimes referred to as “knots” in the muscles.
Dry Needling is performed to elicit a healing response in these tissues, but is different to traditional acupuncture as it is not necessarily aimed at specific “acupuncture” points. Dry needling has been proven to be a very effective way of relaxing spasmed muscles, reducing inflammation and reducing pain.
Acupuncture has been used in China and other Asian countries for thousands of years. In the last decade western medicine has shown a growing interest in acupuncture and dry needling (needling into trigger points in the muscles). As a result the quality and quantity of research into the benefits of needling injuries has increased.
What is the difference between acupuncture and dry needling?
Acupuncture is a technique whereby the needles are placed in specific, pre-determined acupuncture points. These points are located along meridian channels that help the “qi” energy flow from inside the body (core organs) to more superficial tissues.
Dry Needling is a form of acupuncture where the needles are placed in muscle “trigger points”. A Trigger point is a discrete, irritable, overactive point in skeletal muscle or fascia that can be felt as a nodule or band in the muscle. Touching the trigger point reproduces the complaint of pain, so area’s of needling is dependent on therapist feel and reports of reproduction of pain.