Acupuncture

What is Dry needling?

A safe and effective treatment performed by a Licensed Acupuncturist at Vida Integrated Health. Dry needling, also known as Intramuscular Stimulation, is a pain-relieving technique that involves introducing a thin needle into the patient’s skin. This treatment’s goal is to reduce pain by deactivating trigger points and restoring the muscles’ function.

Traditionally referred to as Ashi acupuncture in Ancient Chinese medicine, Dry needling is similar to acupuncture. Dry needling consists of inserting a thin needle into a banded tight muscle that contains a trigger point. By directly stimulating the trigger point, the muscle “resets,” as it stimulates the production of natural analgesics the body produces and gets the muscle essentially out of pain naturally.

How does Dry needling work?

Before the treatment starts, a professional acupuncturist will diagnose the areas and trigger points that should be treated. Then, the Licensed Acupuncturist will insert sterile and disposable needles into the trigger points or around them.

A trigger point is commonly referred to as a muscle knot, a small, bump-like area of muscle that can be painful to the touch. When a band in a muscle fiber becomes tight after a lousy movement, age, a sedentary lifestyle, or bad posture, it can cause pain, restrict the range of motion, and interrupt normal muscle function. If left untreated, these trigger points may get worse over time.

Dry needling works by stimulating these trigger areas with a very thin needle inserted in the tissue for seconds or minutes, depending on the severity of the “knot.” Once the area becomes stimulated, our body will naturally release its own “Pain killers” to the area, thus reducing the muscular pain.