Dry Needling - Trigger Point Therapy - Legacy Clinic of Chiropractic

What Is Dry Needling?

Trigger point dry needling or myofascial trigger point (MTrP) dry needling is a treatment for myofascial pain. The term myo refers to muscle, and fascia refers to tissue connecting the muscles.

Muscles develop knotted areas called trigger points. These points become highly sensitive and painful. They also become a cause of “referred” pain or pain that affects other body parts.

The acupuncturist pushes thin solid needles through the skin and muscles to reach these trigger points. These needles stimulate the tissue to relieve the pain. The patient may experience mild ache, tingling, soreness, or heat rising from that point. These are good signs, as it means the treatment is working.

Types Of Dry Needling

Trigger point needling is of two types – superficial and deep tissue. Superficial Dry Needling (SDN) administered in conjugation with Deep Dry Needling (DDN) brings pain relief while avoiding excessive tissue damage and remodeling. The difference between the two types is as follows;

Superficial Dry Needling (SDN)	Deep Dry Needling (DDN)
During SDN, the dry needle is inserted into the subcutaneous layer (5-10mm deep) over the MTrP; for 30 seconds.	During DDN, the needle is inserted beyond the subcutaneous tissue, i.e., into the connective and muscular tissue.
The manipulation of the myofascial trigger point using this needle determines the response level, i.e., the alleviation of the pain. If there is no relief, then it is reinserted.	The needle is manipulated or palpitated, as in the SDN.
pain relief occurs by a delta fiber firing	pain relief occurs by resolving MTrPs through local twitch responses (LTR)
used for fascial remodeling,	it improves MMS function by restoring the length and strength of the fiber
used when DDN is not possible or desirable
used when the anatomy dictates