Dry needling

Dry needling (trigger point acupuncture) involves needling a muscle’s trigger points to release tension as a treatment for muscular and myofascial pain. More than just “tight muscles,” trigger points can also cause referred pain that is felt elsewhere in the body, far beyond the site of the trigger point itself. A powerful therapy technique, dry needling can provide rapid relief from the significant pain of muscle “knots” and referrals, and can drastically improve a muscle’s mobility and function.

Historically, doctors would use a hypodermic needle to inject saline, lidocaine, or other “wet” solutions into a muscle knot. Dry needling grew out of this technique when practitioners noted that thin acupuncture needles equally induced a “twitch” response in the muscle at the trigger point, to produce the same effect without the use of the larger needle or injection.

Muscle knots are the result of both acute injury and chronic impairment — the muscle can come under strain in the course of daily life (poor posture, repetitive movements) or in the case of an athlete training with improper form. Dry needling is an incredibly efficient and effective technique to relieve the distress these knots produce. While a massage practitioner may need to apply pressure for several minutes on a trigger point, creating deeper local pain, relief from dry needling comes instantaneously as the stimulated muscle is provoked to release.

However, in order to maintain relief from pain, the release of a trigger point itself must be followed by a more comprehensive treatment plan to rebalance the body’s energy, release blockages, and heal underlying musculoskeletal dysfunction so that the knot doesn’t reappear as the muscle returns to its familiar “tight” position. At Maynard Clinic, our comprehensive evaluation and treatment planning ensures we treat the whole person, focusing on complete healing in addition to rapid pain relief.

Finding a skilled and extensively trained practitioner in dry needling is a necessity when seeking trigger point therapy. Be aware that the state of Vermont has no regulations imposed on the practice of dry needling, so it is essential to ask about a practitioner’s training and expertise prior to beginning treatment.

Within his acupuncture training, Darren Maynard received three years of study, palpation training, and anatomy training, and hundreds of hours of clinical supervision in releasing every muscle covered in Travell and Simons’ “bible” of dry needling. Because breaking the skin (with needles) during treatment is considered “minor surgery,” as dry needling has become popular, the American Medical Association’s initial recommendation was that it be practiced only by acupuncturists or MDs trained in acupuncture.

While the AMA has revised their initial recommendation to specify that practitioners should have 300 hours of training in dry needling, many physical therapists and other practitioners offering trigger point acupuncture complete only a 27-hour “certification” program.

“It is a serious mistake to judge the efficacy of trigger point (TrP) treatment by manual methods or by injection if the practitioner was not both well trained AND experienced in the techniques used for the muscles reportedly treated. Knowledgeable, skillful practitioners of TrP therapy can be difficult to locate. So often, when patients give a history of being treated for TrPs without benefit, careful questioning makes it clear that treatment was given without adequate examination for TrPs or was not performed in a manner that one would expect to be effective.”      – Travell & Simons, Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction: The Trigger Point Manual

The Maynard Clinic specializes in dry needling, using trigger point therapy to treat acute muscle pain, chronic neck pain, back pain, myofascial pain, and other significant pain conditions. We hope to see you soon.