FUNCTIONAL DRY NEEDLING

Trigger points are sensitive, painful areas that normally exist in muscles. Active trigger points can develop due to injury, musculoskeletal dysfunction, compensation, or overuse, and become hypersensitive spots that produce pain locally, in addition to sending pain to a different area of the body, following a referred pain pattern. Performing FDN into active trigger points helps release tight muscles, increase blood flow, and alleviate muscle banding and pain.

While Functional Dry Needling Specialists (FDNS) use the same types of needles as acupuncturists, our treatment intentions and techniques are distinct.

• Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese medicine that bases its points on meridians – or pathways that create energy flow – known as “Chi”.

• Dry needling is a Western Medicine technique that determines needle placements based on musculoskeletal and neuromuscular structures.

• Acute & Chronic Pain

• Osteoarthritis

• Muscle strains, spasms, sprains

• Tendinitis/overuse injuries

• Total Joint Replacements (total & partial knee, hip, and shoulder replacements)*

• Post-surgical cases (arthroscopies, discectomies, spinal fusion, rotator cuff & labral repairs, meniscal repairs, ligamentous repairs, ORIF, etc.)*

• Neck & Back pain (DDD, stenosis, disc pathologies, radiculopathy, etc.)

• Sciatica, piriformis syndrome

• Headaches

• Temporomandibular joint disorders (TMD/TMJ)

• Whiplash

• Shoulder pain (adhesive capsulitis, rotator cuff/labral pathology, impingement, etc.)

• Elbow pain (tennis/golfer’s elbow, later/medial epicondylitis, etc.)

• Wrist/Hand pain (Carpal tunnel syndrome, trigger finger, de Quervain’s/Gamer’s thumb, etc.)

• Hip pain (FAI/impingement, labral pathology, bursitis, etc.)

• Knee pain (meniscus pathology, patellofemoral pain, ITBFS, etc.)

• Ankle & Foot pain (plantar fasciitis, heel spurs, Achille’s pathology, etc.)

• Athletic injuries & sports performance

• Neuropathic pain (central sensitization, CRPS, fibromyalgia, etc.)

*Please note that in all post-surgical cases, Functional Dry Needling to areas outside the surgical site is not permitted for the first 6 weeks. FDN is not allowed to the local structures at the surgical site for the first 12 weeks.

If your condition is not listed above and you are interested in FDN services, please contact us (link) to discuss further.

Dry needling helps improve many conditions that involve pain, restricted movement, and loss of strength, balance, coordination, or function. This is especially true for conditions that are chronic or recurrent in nature and have not responded to other interventions. Benefits of FDN may include:

• Shortened recovery time

• Pain control/management/reduction (with less reliance on pain medications)

• Improvements in range of motion and mobility

• Improvements in muscle strength and function

• Return to function (work, hobbies, sports, etc.)

• Fewer visits to therapy and health care providers

• Avoidance of expensive testing and surgery

Functional dry needling produces the following effects:

• Releases & “resets” tight, dysfunctional muscles

• Improves blood flow/decreases inflammation

• Increases range of motion

• Decrease tissue banding/tension

• Decrease muscle tightness/scar tissue

• Decrease pain

• Improves muscle firing & function

• Restores function

• Central Nervous System changes

Responses to treatment vary from person to person and depend on the injury or treatment area. Most patients will likely not feel the needle penetrate the skin, but once it is advanced into the muscle, levels of discomfort can vary. When a trigger point is stimulated, a twitch response in the muscle can occur. The patient may only feel a small cramping sensation locally, or they may feel a referral of pain, similar to the symptoms for which they are seeking treatment. A reproduction of pain similar to the patient’s symptoms is a positive sign that a trigger point has been deactivated, thereby reducing pain and restoring normal function of the involved muscle. There may be soreness immediately after treatment in the area of the body that was treated. Soreness can also develop a few hours after treatment, or even the next day. Patients may feel like they had an intense workout at the gym, or experience a similar sensation to that of the aftermath of a deep tissue massage. Occasionally, patients may feel tired, nauseous, emotional, and/or somewhat “out of it” after treatment. This is a normal response that dissipates over time.

Treatments are always tailored and modified to best accommodate the individual and their unique presentation. While FDN can illicit discomfort, it should never exceed a tolerable threshold.

While functional dry needling is a fantastic tool, it is always most effectively used as part of a comprehensive treatment plan. Individualized therapeutic exercise and movement programs are tailored to best address each patient’s specific conditions and presentations. It is always best to reinforce the passive changes accomplished with FDN and other manual therapy treatments with active functional, corrective exercises.

Research indicates that dry needling is a safe and effective procedure for treating and managing pain, with very few side effects. Adverse effects are minor and may include:

• Bruising

• Bleeding at treatment site

• Soreness

• Fatigue

Very rare complications include infection and pneumothorax (collapsed lung). Your physical therapist will screen you for contraindications prior to treatment to minimize associated risks.

*Not everyone is a good candidate for Functional Dry Needling. If you are unsure or would like to discuss further, please do not hesitate to call (914) 582-3612 or email info@carlygpt.com.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8465617/pdf/ijerph-18-09552.pdf https://www.lchcia.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Functional-Dry-Needling-Brochure-2020.pdf https://aptfc.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Dry-Needling-Brochure.pdf https://assets.speakcdn.com/assets/2400/resultspt-dryneedling-brochure-download.pdf https://orthopedicinstitutesf.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Functional-Dry-Needling-brochure.pdf https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/16542-dry-needling https://lincolnpt.com/functional-dry-needling-common-qas/