Dry needling is practiced by one of our senior practitioners, Leigh Reid. 

 

Dry needling is a treatment that is used by massage therapists and other health practitioners to assist with issues related to pain and movement that are associated with trigger points. A trigger point may feel like a 'knot' or point of tension and can be responsible for muscle pain or dysfunction.  The practitioner uses very fine needles (the same needles used in acupuncture) and inserts them into or near your trigger points. The needle then works by stimulating the muscles which causes them to twitch or contract.  This process can help the muscle to release and relax, therefore relieving pain and tension. 

 

Dry needling can be really useful for chronic tension and pain, muscle strains, lower back pain, neck pain and headaches, shoulder pain, jaw pain plus a myriad of other conditions. During a dry needling session, you may feel a small amount of discomfort, pain or sensation once the needle is applied to the muscle, or sometimes you may not feel anything at all. 

 

Dry needling sessions are used in combination with massage. This means that the practitioner will use massage techniques to feel and discover the areas of tension or trigger points in order to determine where to put the needle. Once the needle is placed in contact with the muscle, the therapist will continue to do massage in other areas of the body as required while the needle is working. The therapist will then assess when is appropriate to remove the needle according to how the needle feels in the muscle as well as via communication with the client based on sensation. 

 

Dry needling is a very effective tool that can be used or requested at any time during your massage treatment with Leigh. If you have a session booked with Leigh but are still unsure if dry needling is right for you, please feel free to have a chat to Leigh so that she can answer any questions.