What is Dry Needling?
Dry needling is a treatment modality that involves inserting extremely small needles into various muscles and trigger points. Trigger points are tight “knots” in a muscle that can be painful and reduce the muscle function.
There is extensive clinical research to show that dry needling can be effectively used to treat foot conditions resulting from contracted or tight muscles, as well as help with pain management and reducing soft tissue inflammation. It is used in conjunction with stretching and strengthening exercises.
Is it the same as Acupuncture?
Dry Needling is a not the same as acupuncture, a practice based on traditional Chinese medicine, with the key difference being the theory behind application. Dry Needling focuses on the reduction of pain and restoration of function through the release of myofascial trigger points in muscle. In comparison, Acupuncture is used for treatment of medical conditions by restoring the flow of energy (Qi) through key points in the body (meridians) to restore balance.
Benefits of Dry Needling:
- Pain relief
- Reduce swelling
- Improve muscle function
- Improve joint range of motion
- Speed up recovery
- Effectively treat referred pain in the lower limb
- Low risk procedure with minimal side effects
Is it painful?
Despite using needles, the application of dry needling is relatively painless! During application, you may feel a sharp scratch on the skin but that sensation will subside immediately.
What to expect?
You will be lying in a comfortable position during treatment. We will be inserting sterile, single-use, fine acupuncture needles into the inactive myofascial trigger point or tight bands of muscles. Each Dry Needling session will take about 15-20 mins, and depending on your condition, we may have to repeat treatment once every 1-2 weeks for 3-6 sessions. You will feel muscle fatigue and soreness after each session, which naturally wears off after 3-5 days. It will not affect your daily activities.
Do all physiotherapists or podiatrists conduct Dry Needling?
Dry needling is a specialised practice and it requires proper training. Our physiotherapists and podiatrists at Physio and Sole Clinic have trained extensively and regularly attend courses to ensure they have maintained the up-to-date methods of Dry Needling.
Physio and Sole Clinic is proud to be the first clinic in Singapore to have all our podiatrists trained in Dry Needling.
We are trained to diagnose and effectively treat musculoskeletal pain and injuries via a range of treatments including Dry Needling.
Feel free to contact us via our Ask a Podiatrist WhatsApp service at 9175 4929 or Ask a Physiotherapist at 9899 7967 if you have any queries!
