Functional dry needling (FDN) is a treatment technique that uses small filiform needles to release tight muscles with the goal of permanently reducing muscle pain and dysfunction. Dry needling can help to resolve difficult, nagging injuries and chronic conditions with the goal of restoring your optimal level of function.
What is Dry Needling?
Dry Needling is a treatment that helps with the pain of trigger points. Those are small, tender knots in your muscles. They can be very sore when you press them. Sometimes they cause pain in other parts of your body. With dry needling, your provider targets these knots directly with a thin needle. No medicine is injected.
Preparation
To begin, your provider presses your muscles to find your trigger points. You may be moved into different positions to try to recreate any pain you’ve been feeling.
Dry Needling Procedure
Once a trigger point is found, a thin needle is put into that part of the muscle. You may not feel it being inserted. Or, it could be a bit painful. And if your trigger point affects other parts of your body, you may feel some pain there, too. You could feel a twitch, which is like a tiny cramp. The provider may leave the needle in place for a few minutes. Some providers rotate or move the needle in and out during treatment. You may need to have more than one trigger point treated.
How does dry needling work?
Although it looks like Chinese acupuncture, dry needling is not the same. It is supported by scientific research. It is believed to release tension by interrupting certain nerve signals in the trigger point.
What to expect
After the treatment, you could feel some soreness. This usually gets better within a day. Your provider may also recommend other techniques as part of your care plan, like stretches and electrical muscle stimulations.
