Dry needling is a technique that aims to decrease muscle tightness to restore normal movement patterns. By inserting thin needles into tight bands of muscles that surround painful joints and trigger points, dry needling decreases pain and inflammation while improving range of motion.
Athletes often incorporate dry needling into rehab routines to enhance movement quality during recovery when performed with corrective exercise and manual therapy techniques.
Needling causes a neuromuscular response that resets muscle behavior and allows it to relax, which may help improve mobility and flexibility.
Myofascial Trigger Points Explained
Trigger points are tight knots that form within the muscle tissue. These hardened spots occur when muscles are stressed or injured repeatedly over time.
Trigger points restrict normal muscle movement, causing pain that can limit your range of motion.
When muscles do not relax properly due to these irritating knots, tissue sensitivity increases and blood flow is decreased, resulting in stiffness and limited mobility.
Physical therapists can often feel trigger points when palpating your muscles. These dysfunctions are pinpointed by locating taut bands in the muscle that cause you to feel familiar discomfort or movement restrictions when pressed.
Treatment of these trigger points helps alleviate tension and restores muscles back to normal function.
The Science Behind Dry Needling
Dry needling focuses on relieving pain by inserting thin needles into areas of dysfunction. The needle causes a twitch response, which is a quick contraction of the muscle fibers.
This response helps:
- Eliminate contracted muscle fibers
- Reduce resting muscle tension
- Increase blood flow to the area
- Decrease sensitivity to pain
- Promote flexibility
Needles are strategically placed into specific areas that help relieve muscle tension. Many people feel immediate results after dry needling treatment.
Needling does not release medication into your body like traditional needles. The mechanical response that is created by inserting a needle helps trigger your body’s natural healing response.
Dry Needling Effects On The Nervous System
Dry needling eases tension in your muscles by allowing the brain to calm down motor signals that are sent to tight muscles.
When muscles become too tight, the body thinks something is wrong and continues to protect the area by tensing muscles.
Needling helps to deactivate these pain-spasm cycles. It decreases the sensitivity of the irritated area by reducing nociceptive signals.
As a result, muscles relax, allowing for an increase in your range of motion.
Dry needling also improves your body’s proprioception. Proprioception is your body’s ability to sense movement, location, and action.
This helps your body learn how to move correctly again. With improved muscle coordination, your joints will be better aligned and stabilized, allowing for a greater range of motion.
Enhances Circulation To Improve Mobility
Dry needling works to increase circulation around the affected area. Tiny microtrauma is created when the needle is inserted into the skin.
The trauma stimulates blood flow to bring more oxygen to injured tissues.
Increased circulation will:
- Flush out waste buildup
- Decrease inflammation
- Allow more oxygen into the affected area
- Promote collagen production
- Enhance muscle recovery
Your body will naturally heal itself by creating an inflammatory response to repair the small trauma caused by needle insertion.
Enhanced circulation can help improve muscle quality when needling is done consistently.
Decreases Muscle Guarding To Increase Movement
When tissues become injured or chronically irritated, muscles tend to tighten up as a defense mechanism.
Guarding restricts movement, creating abnormal movement patterns that can overload neighboring joints and structures.
Dry needling helps to release muscle guarding. Needling helps to decrease muscle irritability while improving muscles’ resting tone.
When muscles are less tense, joints have an increased ability to move through a pain-free range of motion.
Many athletes experience increased flexibility following dry needling treatment because muscles are no longer trying to protect the body from movement.
Release of muscle guarding can be beneficial for:
- Stiff necks
- Tight shoulders
- Restricted hip mobility
- Lower back pain
- Tight calves and hamstrings
- Overuse injuries
Combine Needling With Exercise
Dry needling should always be used in conjunction with other types of rehabilitation. Needling will help decrease tension, but without exercising the corrected movement patterns, muscles will continue to remember how to move improperly.
It is common to pair dry needling with:
- Stretching
- Strengthening
- Mobility exercises
- Massage
- Neuromuscular reeducation
- Sport-specific training
Allowing patients to exercise after needling helps train muscles how to move correctly while they are less guarded.
Combining needling with active movement will create long-lasting results and decrease the chance of re-aggravation.
Consult With A Professional
Dry needling should never be performed unless you are working with a licensed, qualified medical professional.
Sterile techniques are used, and a thorough evaluation is done to determine if dry needling is needed for your specific condition.
Some patients may experience mild soreness after treatment. This is normal and will go away after a couple of days.
Similar to how you would feel after a workout, there may be some temporary bruising or fatigue.
Dry needling may not be suitable for everyone. People with bleeding disorders, currently infected with a virus, or with severe needle phobia may not be the best candidates for dry needling.
Always consult with a professional before deciding on treatment protocols.
Dry Needling For Mobility Conclusion
Dry needling can help improve your mobility by releasing muscle tension. Increased blood flow helps flush out toxins and restores muscles to their normal function.
Needling helps to reset muscles so they learn how to relax. When muscles are less tense, your joints have a greater ability to move freely.
Always pair dry needling with exercise so you can continue to workout muscles while they are weakened from treatment.
Needling can help increase your range of motion while exercising and restore normal movement patterns.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How Long Does It Take For Dry Needling To Help With Mobility?
A: Some patients feel immediate results, while others may need several treatments combined with rehabilitative exercises.
Q: Does Dry Needling Hurt?
A: Most patients experience minimal discomfort during treatment. After the twitch response, you may feel temporary soreness; this goes away after a few days.
Q: Can Dry Needling Replace Rehab Exercises?
A: No, dry needling should never be used as a substitute for corrective exercises.
Dry needling is great when used along with exercise to restore normal movement.