Dry Needling

---

Chronic or acute pain caused by injuries ie: sports, falls, over use, long periods of standing, sitting or working on a mouse can create areas of tension called trigger points. Trigger points tighten and shorten the muscles inducing pain, tension, and limited of range of motion.

Trigger points are tight areas within muscle tissue that causes pain in other parts of the body also known as referred pain. 

In the long term this can lead to other musculo-structural patterns of chronic pain. Dry needling targets and release myofascial trigger points, and bands of tight muscular tissue.  Increasing the bodies ability to heal, improving range of motion and alleviating pain. Some Doctors and Physicians blend traditional acupuncture with modern sports science for optimal therapeutic benefits.

In California dry needling is a subset form of acupuncture that focuses on muscular dysfunctions.  Only a Licensed Acupuncturist or a Medical Doctor can perform this method.  Acupuncturists have 4 years of training and hundreds if not thousands of clinical hours of  therapeutic needling to patients during their internship. Treating everything from allergies, digestive disorders to musculoskeletal dysfunction.  Upon completion they sit for either the national or state board exams  to be able to treat using sterile, single use needles.  Many states allow non acupuncturists with no training or as little as 50 hours of training in order to treat with needles. Acupuncture is a licensed profession. Most states dry needling is a weekend certification. It is acupuncture and for legal and political reasons other professions call it dry needling.