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Dry Needling Plus

Dry Needling Plus is a very successful medical treatment which uses very thin needles without any medication (a dry needle) to achieve its aim. Dry Needling Plus is used to treat pain and dysfunction caused by muscle, ligament and nerve problems.

Although using acupuncture style needles, it differs vastly from Chinese Acupuncture, in technique and theoretical background. Acupuncture is a treatment practiced in traditional Chinese medicine which is based on a body’s energy flow. Dry Needling Plus is a treatment modality practiced by physiotherapists. It is a western medicine technique based on Japanese Meridian Therapy and anatomy and neurophysiology.

How does dry needling work?

Compared to normal tissue, a high concentration of chemicals which cause pain can be found in the trigger points and spasmed tissue. When the needle goes into the tissue, it helps to normalise these chemical levels. Therefore, this helps to release muscle contraction and results in decreased pain.
It can help to increase blood flow to the area to promote healing.
Dry needling works by changing the way your body senses pain (neurological effects), and by helping the body heal stubborn muscle spasm (myofascial effects).
There are additional electrical and chemical changes associated with dry needling therapy which assist in the healing process.
If the tight muscle tissue is not released, it can lead to altered joint motion and be the cause of recurring neck, hip and low back pain for example.

Kylie Moffitt is a dry needling practitioner who been specifically trained in Dry Needling Plus. Depending on the condition and area treated, your Physiotherapist may use a number of single use, sterile, disposable needles to affect the muscular and neural pathways. This approach employs more superficial and more comfortable techniques than in some approaches of just deactivating muscle trigger points.

Conditions Dry Needling Plus is effective in managing:

Chronic back or neck pain
Migraines and headaches
Sports injuries
Tennis elbow
Repetitive strain injuries
Work related injuries
Motor vehicle injuries
Nerve root pain
Ankle/knee/hip pain

Many people experience immediate relief from their symptoms. There is very little risk associated with this technique if performed properly by a Dry Needling Plus trained Physiotherapist. There can be mild side effects such as tiredness or drowsiness for some people. Your Physiotherapist will discuss these with you to make sure it is ok for you to have dry needling before any treatment commences.