Dry Needling

You could benefit from dry needling if you have tender spots in your muscles known as trigger points. The highly skilled Premier Performance Physical Therapy team excels at performing dry needling treatments to help patients suffering from trigger point pain and other musculoskeletal disorders. To benefit from the effects of dry needling, call Premier Performance Physical Therapy of Sugarland, Katy, and Pearland TX today or use the online scheduling tool to book an appointment.

What is dry needling?

Dry needling is a highly skilled intervention in which the Premier Performance Physical Therapy team uses thin filiform (threadlike) needles to penetrate your skin. The needles stimulate underlying connective tissues, muscles, and myofascial trigger points to help manage neuromusculoskeletal pain and impaired movement.

Trigger points are taut skeletal muscle bands located within a larger muscle group. They can be tender to the touch and often transmit pain to other parts of the body, far from the source (referred pain).

Physical therapists use dry needling techniques to release or inactivate your trigger points, thereby relieving pain. The trigger point stimulation helps your muscle fibers to relax and restores communication between your brain and the nerves controlling your muscles.

What conditions could benefit from dry needling?

Dry needling can form part of a comprehensive treatment plan for many musculoskeletal conditions. It’s also a valuable stand-alone therapy for isolated trigger point pain. Premier Performance Physical Therapy uses dry needling for:

Back and neck pain

Dry needling can assist with degenerative disc disease, herniated discs, osteoarthritis, whiplash injuries, and headaches.

Joint pain

Joint conditions that could benefit from dry needling include:

• Rotator cuff tears
• Bursitis
• Adhesive capsulitis (frozen shoulder)
• Tendinitis
• Impingement syndrome
• Lateral epicondylitis (tennis elbow)
• Medial epicondylitis (golfer’s elbow)
• DeQuervain’s syndrome
• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMD)

It can also be invaluable for foot pain, including metatarsalgia, Morton’s neuroma, and plantar fasciitis (heel pain).

Trauma and surgery

Postsurgical pain and injuries caused by traumas like car accidents can often benefit from dry needling.

What happens when I have dry needling treatment?

To perform dry needling, your Premier Performance Physical Therapy provider inserts the needles into your body in specific places. It sounds similar to receiving acupuncture but works differently.

Your provider uses their skill and experience to determine how deeply the needles should go in. They also calculate how long the needles should stay in place for optimal results, which could vary from a few seconds to 15 minutes.You might feel a little soreness and aching during dry needling treatment or experience mild muscle spasms when a needle enters a trigger point.

Some people only need one or two dry needling treatments, while others require a longer course. It typically depends on your condition’s severity and how well you respond to treatment.  

Call or book an appointment online today to benefit from the Premier Performance Physical Therapy team’s expertise in dry needling.