Dry Needling at Physio Fit Adelaide

At Physio Fit Adelaide, we offer dry needling to help relieve muscle and joint pain throughout the body. Dry Needling is a highly effective technique that involves inserting thin, sterile needles into myofascial trigger points. The goal is to alleviate muscle tension by stimulating the nervous system and providing feedback to the muscles, inhibiting or stopping muscle spasms.

Benefits of Dry Needling
When performed by our experienced practitioners, dry needling can provide a wide range of health benefits, including:

1. Relaxing tight muscles: Dry needling targets myofascial trigger points, helping to relax tight muscle bands.
2. Decreasing pain and reducing reliance on medications: Dry needling offers a drug-free approach to pain management, reducing the need for pain medications.
3. Improving muscle function and performance: By releasing muscle tension and improving muscle function, dry needling can enhance performance and movement.
4. Increasing joint mobility and flexibility: Dry needling helps improve joint mobility and flexibility, allowing for better overall movement.

Differences between Dry Needling vs Acupuncture
It’s important to note the distinctions between dry needling and acupuncture. At Physio Fit Adelaide, our physiotherapists are trained in dry needling and do not practice acupuncture.

Dry needling is based in western medicine principles and research. It is increasingly recognised as an effective approach in managing musculoskeletal and sports injuries. On the other hand, acupuncture involves needling points along meridians in the body to promote balance, harmonize energy flow (qi), and remove blockages throughout the body.

Is Dry Needling Painful?
Dry needling is relatively pain-free. Most people do not feel the thin needles as they are inserted and many even report that deep tissue massage is more uncomfortable than dry needling.

During the treatment, you may experience a local twitch response in the muscle. This may result in a brief sensation, similar to the feeling of a muscle cramping. These responses are considered beneficial and desirable, as they contribute to the therapeutic effect of the treatment, relaxing the muscle overall.

Common Conditions Treated with Dry Needling

Dry needling is beneficial for a wide range of conditions, including:

• Neck pain, headaches and migraines
• Upper and lower back pain
• Tight and sore muscles
• Shoulder, elbow and arm pain (rotator cuff, tennis elbow, carpal tunnel, golfer’s elbow)
• Jaw (TMJ) pain
• Hip, buttock, and leg pain (sciatica, quadriceps and hamstrings strains, calf tightness/spasms)
• Tight calves and plantar fasciitis