Is Dry Needling Better Than Massage?
Dry needling is an effective treatment for muscle pain. This technique involves inserting fine, filiform needles into myofascial trigger points in muscles and tissue. Learn more about dry needling here.
Massage can provide local and referred muscle pain relief, increase blood flow, improve function and mobility; however it should not replace massage entirely. Discover the benefits of manual therapy.
What’s the difference?
Needles can be uncomfortable for everyone – whether you get shots, have blood drawn, or get a tattoo. Fortunately, techniques like dry needling and acupuncture have been shown to be successful at rehabilitation of injuries and painful conditions.
Dry needling and acupuncture both utilize tiny filiform needles into trigger points or ashi points on your body to relieve pain and promote healing, though the techniques employed vary between these practices.
Acupuncture is a practice rooted in traditional Chinese medicine that seeks to stimulate the flow of energy (known as “chi” or “qi”) throughout your body. Unlike dry needling, acupuncture utilizes non-anatomical pathways known as meridians to influence your chi and overall energy flow.
Massage is an ancient practice that can help relieve muscular and nerve pain. Studies have also demonstrated its ability to promote relaxation, increase blood circulation and reduce stiffness.
Trigger Points
If you experience muscle tension, it could be due to a trigger point. Also known as knots or trigger points, these irritated and inflamed areas of your muscles can elicit intense pain when they become aggravated.
These points are highly sensitive to touch and can refer pain elsewhere on the body. They’re believed to be a major contributing factor in what is commonly referred to as myofascial pain syndrome – an array of aches and pains across multiple joints.
Trigger points can be painful and uncomfortable, as well as slow down your reaction time for sports, cause joints to move less precisely, and make daily tasks more challenging.
Dry needling is a non-invasive treatment that utilizes pressure and nitric oxide to target the source of your pain. It’s safe and effective, with multiple sessions needed for ongoing relief.
Pain Relief
Dry needling is a therapeutic technique used to relieve pain, reduce acute inflammation and promote healing. A trained physical therapist uses fine needles to release trigger points, relax muscle tightness and increase mobility.
Your therapist will pinpoint your trigger points and insert a needle directly into them. You may experience some pain and/or local twitch response (muscle spasm) as your muscles respond to treatment.
Your provider may leave the needle in for two seconds or 20 minutes, depending on which technique they employ. They might also utilize a pistoning technique where they rapidly move the needle up and down through tissue.
Though the procedure is generally safe, it’s important to be aware of possible side effects like bleeding from the insertion site or shortness of breath after needling. While these are uncommon occurrences, they could indicate an infection or punctured lung (known as a pneumothorax).
Flexibility
Flexibility is an essential aspect of physical health and fitness, yet it often goes overlooked. People with decreased flexibility have difficulty moving their joints, leading to pain and reduced performance across a variety of activities.
Dry needling is a technique that uses very fine needles to treat myofascial trigger points, which are localized collections of muscle fibers that can irritate nerves and cause pain referral. Although patients may feel discomfort from the needle, it usually just results in a local twitch response – an abrupt spasm of the affected muscle.
Dry needling is a less aggressive alternative than massage and can be used to target both active and latent trigger points. Studies have demonstrated that this treatment may be successful at relieving pain, increasing mobility and avoiding injury by gently releasing these knots.
If you’re interested in exploring dry needling or manual therapy for your pain relief and increased flexibility, contact Total Health & Rehab Center to schedule an appointment with our team of specialists.
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