Dry Needling

Debbie Cuper, DPT, CLT, Cert.DN, GTS

Debbie Cuper, DPT, CLT, Cert.DN, GTS

What We Treat:

  • Migraines
  • Headaches
  • TMD
  • Cervical Radiculopathy
  • Facet Joint Syndrome
  • Shoulder Impingement
  • Carpal Tunnel
  • Lateral Epicondylagia
  • Back Pain
  • Piriformis Syndrome
  • Knee Pain
  • Achilles Tendinosis

Dry needling involves insertion and repetitive manipulation of a "dry", fine filament needle in a trigger point in order to produce an involuntary spinal cord reflex, also known as a local twitch response (LTR). This results in lasting muscle relaxation due to the release of shortened bands of muscle fibers for overactive (tight) muscles or the activation of under-active (weak) muscles. Deactivation of the trigger points can bring immediate relief of symptoms, so the therapist can immediately train the muscles to work with the newly gained pain free range of motion (ROM).

Dry Needling vs. Acupuncture

Dry needling is similar to acupuncture in the sense that a dry, fine filament needle is inserted and manipulated under the skin for pain relief. The difference is that dry needling is based on western neuroanatomy and modern scientific study of the musculoskeletal and nervous systems. Acupuncture is based on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). It creates balance in the body by influencing the flow of Qi (energy) in pathways called meridians to achieve pain relief and alleviate inflammation.