Got a Stubborn Muscle Knot That Won't Budge? Here's What Dry Needling Actually Does

Dry needling is a therapeutic technique that is used to target specific trigger points to address local muscle stiffness and discomfort. Trigger points feel like a tight band or “knot” in your muscles and can be active (symptomatic), where they feel painful all the time and may refer pain from the muscle, or latent (asymptomatic), where they’re only painful when you or someone else massages or pokes them!

Trigger points can be caused by a “trauma” for example a hamstring tear during a game of footy or a calf strain playing tennis, but most people experience no incident or injury and have no idea what caused their trigger points.

Unfortunately, there is a lot of debate about what causes these “non-traumatic” trigger points, but we do know that they are rare in children or young teens but become more common as we age. Muscle cramps may be spontaneous trigger points. So, does that mean we get stiffer, less flexible and therefore more likely to develop trigger points as we age?

Some educated guesses as to what may cause trigger points include:

1. Repetitive use of a group of muscles which may lead to fatigue. Examples include students/desk workers in the same postures all day using the same arm for mouse work or cleaners who use the same arm for all cleaning tasks/vacuuming.

2. Pre-existing metabolic medical conditions like diabetes which already have an increased rate of cramps may leave individuals more susceptible to developing trigger points.

3. Medication side effects may contribute to the increasing existence of trigger points as we age.

4. Anatomy!! Seeing as trigger points are regular in certain muscle groups like the upper traps or gluteals could it be related to our design???

When a needle is inserted into a trigger point it can cause a twitch response. While this response might feel briefly uncomfortable and you may experience a dull ache as your muscle releases, any discomfort is usually temporary and well-tolerated.

Dry needling may help to relieve muscle tension and reduce your pain, which feels great however it also stimulates circulation, which promotes healing so dry needling may result in reduced treatment and rehabilitation times!

If you are struggling with deep, stubborn muscle knots dry needling might be a part of your solution.

Dr Micha at Bespoke is trained in dry needling - have a chat to her (or Dr Aimee and Dr Katie) at your next visit to see if it may help you.

Ready to give it a go?

Book here for Dry Needling with Dr Micha

** This blog is meant to be informative only and not replace medical advice from your health care provider