Dry Needling to Relieve Myofascial Pain

Physical aches and pains are a given for healthy active adults. Even elite athletes suffer from tight achy muscle pain that lingers, interfering with sports performance and increasing the risk of injury. Bodily pain often stems from dysfunction in the muscle fascia, where some regions become tight, restricting movement and causing pain and imbalances along the musculoskeletal kinetic chain. Dry needling is an innovative method for releasing myofascial tightness and relieving pain.

Myofascial pain syndrome affects the muscle fascia, the thin sheet of connective tissue that covers and separates muscles, allowing them to glide freely during physical activity. The condition is marked by persistent muscle pain or tenderness, and the formation of hard tender knots beneath the skin’s surface. It can affect a single muscle or a muscle group, and is usually caused by the overuse of a muscle or repeated injuries to muscle tissue, often resulting from sports or exercise.

The tender knots associated with myofascial pain syndrome are called trigger points. They occur when injured muscles release an excessive amount of acetylcholine, a nervous system compound that functions as a neurotransmitter. The result is a hypersensitive nodule in a taut band of muscle tissue that can usually be felt beneath the skin. Sensitive muscle knots can trigger pain in other areas of the body that are seemingly unrelated.

Myofascial trigger points (MTPs) can be either active or latent. Active trigger points spontaneously cause pain locally, or trigger referred pain in other areas of the body. Active MTPs often cause muscle weakness and reduced range of motion. Latent trigger points are not painful unless stimulated. However, they can alter muscle activation patterns and also contribute to reduced range of motion.

Dry needling is a procedure that targets trigger points with the insertion of a thin needle. It is not an injection, but rather a stimulus similar to acupuncture. However, unlike acupuncture that seeks to balance the body’s energy meridians, dry needling is used to generate a twitch response in an MTP, to get it to release.

Dry needling is most effective when guided by ultrasound imaging, especially in deep muscle tissue where MTPs are difficult to detect. Ultrasound enables the clinician to accurately target the MTP, ensuring effective treatment results. Dry needling relieves local muscle pain and referred pain caused by MTPs. It may be combined with other treatment methods to eliminate myofascial pain and promote healing.