Acupuncture is a key component of Chinese medicine and has been used for over a thousand years. It involves the use of thin, disposable needles to stimulate the flow of energy or Chi throughout the body. In the West, it is used in conjunction with other treatments, principally to relieve pain, boost recovery and promote healing in musculoskeletal injuries.

Acupuncture tries to balance the body's energy and biochemical balance by stimulating our natural healing abilities, thus promoting physical and emotional well-being.

While dry needling is not the only way to treat a trigger point, it is a very effective treatment as it is able to focus on discrete points in the muscle and treat deeper areas of muscle without affecting other surrounding muscles. It can also be used to normalise muscle function if a muscle is not working as it should. Physiotherapists use dry needling in conjunction with other physiotherapy techniques to achieve the best outcome for patients.

The needles used are very fine and cause very minimal tissue damage when inserted. Patients will often experience some pain with the muscular twitch response to stimulation. Post treatment, there may be localised tenderness and muscular fatigue, which patients will find similar to post exercise muscle stiffness and fatigue usually experienced after a heavy exercise session. This should ease over a day or two and your physiotherapist can best advise how to deal with this. The needles used are sterile and discarded after use.

The physiotherapists who utilise dry needling at Ranelagh Physiotherapy Clinic have all completed further training in this technique. Dry needling is an invasive technique where the needle penetrates the skin, so accurate anatomical knowledge, such as that gained in the 4-year physiotherapy degree, is vital to ensure safety.

This information is provided to give general information on Dry Needling. If you have further questions it is best to discuss this with your physiotherapist.