Dry Needling
A fine filament needle placed directly into a trigger point, to release muscular pain that hands alone cannot reach.
What it is
Dry needling uses a thin, sterile, single-use filament needle, the same kind used in acupuncture, but applied on Western anatomical reasoning rather than meridians. The needle is placed into a taut band of muscle to produce a local twitch response, which reduces the tone of the band and the pain it refers. The word dry simply means that nothing is injected. It is normally used alongside manual therapy and loading, not on its own.
What a session looks like
- 01A check for contraindications, and a clear explanation before anything is done.
- 02Palpation to locate the taut band and its trigger point.
- 03One or more fine needles placed briefly into the band.
- 04Movement or loading straight afterwards, to use the range you have gained.
Most people feel a brief cramp or twitch as the point releases, and some muscular soreness for a day afterwards is normal. Tell us if you are on blood thinners, pregnant, or have a needle phobia. There is always an alternative.
Other treatments
- Manual TherapyPrecise hands-on mobilisation that gives stiff, guarded joints their range back.
- NeurodynamicsRestoring glide in nerves that have become sensitised or entrapped.
- Therapeutic TapingKeeps the correction working long after the session ends.
- Aqua TherapyBuoyancy takes the load off, so you move far earlier.
- Clinical PilatesControl and strength work that turns a pain-free range into a resilient one.