Dry needling is perhaps the newest adjunct to physical therapy in the last few years. It involves inserting a filament style needle into a trigger point within a muscle. A trigger point is a hyper-irritable area of muscle tissue that is congested with inflammatory agents. This can cause pain, disuse, or misuse of the muscle. When the filament is inserted into the trigger point, the muscle will twitch or contract. Sometimes a mild electrical current is used to elicit more twitches to allow for the muscle to reset (or relax). After a session, most people are sore. Drinking extra water and resting can assist in alleviating soreness.
