Dry Needling and Trigger Point Therapy

Myofascial Trigger Point Therapy is used to treat damage to the body to help it heal and function. When trauma or repetitive use  damage  occurs, the damaged tissues produce inflammation. Moreover, these damaged tissues contract in a state of protective tension to guard against any further damage. 

This inflammation and contracture limit the ability for oxygen-rich blood to reach the injured area. That blood flow is necessary for healing and without it the injury site becomes hypoxic. This, in turn,  compels the production of fibroblasts that produce scar tissue. This scar tissue builds up leading to further compression that limits function and disturbances in biomechanical systems. 

Myofascial Trigger Point Therapy uses solid filament needles inserted into the muscle through the skin to release of build-ups in myofascial trigger points. By inserting these needles into a painfully contracted muscle a localized twitch reflex can be triggered. This is both therapeutic as well as diagnostic and research indicates it is the first step to improving flexibility, reducing chemical irritation, and decreasing both muscle contraction and pain. 

While both dry needling and acupuncture utilize sterile disposable solid filament needles to provide relief of pain to patients, that is where the similarities end. Acupuncture is based on traditional Chinese medicine and uses practices, perspectives, and methodologies that go back centuries. Dry needling, on the other hand, is based on scientific medical principles and research developed in the West. The practices, methodology, perspectives, and philosophies of each are unique to their origin. 

In the hands of a talented trained practitioner – like those at The  Wellness Center – dry needling and trigger point therapy can produce a number of positive results for patients. When it is applied to muscular trigger points it disrupts the motor endplate causing relaxation of the muscle.  Furthermore, a local healing response is triggered by the tiny injury needle insertion that helps the natural healing process to restore normal function. The process of dry needling also causes the release of neurotransmitters and other natural substances to block the transmission of pain messages.