By: Molly King DPT, ATC

Recovery is a buzzword in the health, fitness, and sports worlds. Optimizing nutrition, sleep, gentle movement, and mental stress management techniques are important and effective, but many of us still struggle to get our nervous system into a true recovery start. Dry needling can give you the boost you need. 

What is it?

Dry needling is a manual therapy technique that utilizes acupuncture style needles to promote self-healing by improving soft tissue mobility, nervous system function, and blood flow. Dry needling has become a well-known treatment for isolated injuries (muscle strain, joint sprain, etc), but did you know that you can extrapolate these effects to promote total body recovery from competition, training, mentally/emotionally stressful events, or the cumulative effects of day-to-day stress?

How does it work?

Following a specific map of 24 points (on each side of the body), thin, flexible acupuncture style needles are inserted and left in place for 15-30 minutes. You can add electrical stimulation to the needles to "turn up" the effects of the treatment. This protocol promotes the switch from a sympathetic (fight or flight) state to a parasympathetic (rest and recover) state. 

Who is it for?

Anyone who lives in fight or flight mode (who isn't stressed these days?!) and needs a little help to promote effective recovery can benefit from dry needling -- from the competitive athlete to the c-suite executive to the busy parent.

Under-recovered people will complain of:

• Fatigue
• Difficulty sleeping
• "Heaviness" of a limbs/body
• Mental health concerns- anxiety, depression, always "stressed out"
• Poor athletic performance
• Takes longer to feel "normal" after a workout or competition
• Tight muscles
• Generalized soreness/achiness
• Catch every little sickness bug

FAQs: 

Does it hurt?

No - Dry needling does not feel like the needles/injection you are used to. Most of the pain associated with an injection is due to the fluid being pushed into your body, not the actual needle itself. Since we are using solid needle and aren't injecting anything, this pain is eliminated. Most of the time, you don't even feel the prick of the needle. Some points may be achy or twitch, which is an indication that the tissue is sensitized and needs treatment. 

How will I feel after the treatment?

Since the treatment promotes a parasympathetic state, many will feel relaxed, loose, and sleepy. We recommend scheduling this type of treatment for later in the day, after a competition, or several days before competition. We do not recommend it on game day, before a workout, or heading into a busy day of work. There are different styles of dry needling that do not promote parasympathetic drive and can be used immediately before a competition or workout. 

I'm already seeing a PT for my injury. Can we integrate the recovery protocol into my normal treatment plan?

Yes -- If you're trying to promote generalized recovery to enhance injury healing, local treatment of the specific injury can be integrated into the full body protocol. You can also do just one part of the recovery protocol as a part of a regular treatment or recovery session (i.e. arm for pitchers, leg for ACL surgery recovery, etc).

I love to talk about all things dry needling - so let's continue this conversation! If you have any questions or want to schedule a Total Body Dry Needling Recovery Session, feel free to reach me by calling me at (952)-322-7383 or email me directly at [email protected].