Dry Needling in Harford County, MD

We are pleased to offer dry needling for the treatment of pain and injuries. Dry needling is a proven, safe and effective treatment modality.  Dry needling refers to the therapeutic effect of applying needle stimulation directly to trigger points without the injection of substances. Research has shown that the pain relief obtained from medical injections apparently is not dependent on the specific properties of the substance, but the precise location of the point to be injected and the stimulation of the needle itself.  Dry needling uses a needle similar to that used in acupuncture but varies in guage (size) depending on the area of treatment. 

Around the world, physicians of all disciplines are utilizing dry needling over trigger points, with outstanding clinical success. It is an internationally accepted, scientific, neurophysiologic treatment approach that is gaining wide popularity as its use by the health care professions accelerates.

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Trigger points (TrPs), described by Drs. Travell and Simons in the mid-1960s, are hyperirritable spots in skeletal muscle that are painful on deep palpation and give rise to referred pain and motor dysfunction. They are found in palpable, taut bands of skeletal muscle. They are extremely sensitive to palpation and will produce referred pain for the associated muscle.  It has been said that myofascial trigger points are the most commonly missed diagnosis in chronic pain patients. Some examples are tennis/golfer’s elbow, shoulder pain, headaches, back pain, hip pain, TMJ pain, plantar fasciitis, achilles tendonitis, frozen shoulder chondromalacia patellae, headaches, myofascial pain syndrome (MPS), Fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue and any other pain and injury where the muscle is the primary contributor.

In the evaluation of pain, there are two primary types: neuropathic pain from a damaged or dysfunctional nerve, and nociceptive pain, which is very common, caused by osteoarthritis, headaches, sprains/strains, myofascial pain, etc. Both of these pain types have shown extremely good response to dry needling of associated trigger points.

Dry needling is quickly becoming a very popular modality as musculoskeletal complaints are one of the most reported conditions for which people seek professional attention. By deactivating TrPs using needle stimulation directly into the trigger point, the reported pain relief is noteworthy. It is quick, easy and very effective.