Dry Needling and Acupuncture

 Dry Needling

Dry needling is a type of acupuncture treatment.  It involves using very thin, flexible acupuncture needles to help loosen and relax shortened muscles to decrease pain and improve muscle function.  Shortened muscles often contain tender ‘knots’ or ‘ropey bands’ called trigger points that are involved in soft tissue pain.  These trigger points can be tender and often refer achey pain distant to the involved muscle.

During a dry needling session, trigger points are specifically targeted (often in multiple muscles) in order to release the tight muscle bands, improve muscle function and decrease pain. Dry needling is often integrated with other manual therapy techniques, exercise and education to provide relief from myofascial pain and also resolve the reason why it’s there in the first place. 

For further information visit integrateddryneedling.ca.

 Acupuncture

Acupuncture is an ancient Traditional Chinese Medicine treatment used to stimulate balance of energy in the body.  It involves inserting thin, flexible needles at specific anatomical points in the body (acupuncture points) to encourage natural healing.

Acupuncture stimulates the release of endorphins, our natural pain-relieving hormones.  It is often used as an adjunct to physiotherapy treatment to reduce pain and enhance your natural healing rate.

For further information visit Acupuncture Canada.