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The beginning of a new year brings a fresh start and a new list of resolutions. Whether your goal is to move more, feel less pain, improve athletic performance, or simply take better care of your body, there’s one treatment option you may not have considered: dry needling.
Dry needling is a technique used by specialty-trained physical therapists to treat pain, muscle tension, and movement impairments. If lingering aches and stiffness have been holding you back, dry needling might be the missing piece to help you stick with your New Year’s goals.
What is Dry Needling?
Dry needling uses a very thin, solid filament needle that is inserted into tight or painful areas of muscle, commonly referred to as trigger points. Unlike injection, there is no medication in the needle, hence the term “dry”. The goal is to release muscle tension, improve blood flow, and restore normal movement patterns. When the needle stimulates a trigger point, the muscle often responds with a brief twitch, which helps reduce pain and improve mobility.
Importantly, dry needling is not the same as acupuncture. Dry needling is rooted in modern anatomy, biomechanics, and evidence-based rehabilitation.
What Conditions Can Dry Needling Help Treat?
Dry needling is commonly used in physical therapy to address:
- Neck and back pain
- Headaches and migraines
- Shoulder pain
- Hip and knee pain
- Sciatica
- Muscle strains and overuse injuries
- Athletic performance limitations
It is often combined with other physical therapy treatments such as exercise, manual therapy, and movement retraining for the best results.
New Year’s resolutions don’t always fail because of a lack of motivation; they often fail because pain or physical limitations get in the way. Dry needling can be a powerful tool for removing those barriers so you can move confidently, stay active, and feel your best throughout the year.
If you’re tired of nagging pain or muscle tightness keeping you from your goals, schedule a free assessment or an evaluation with a Dry Needling-trained clinician at your local Athletico to see if dry needling could be right for you.
This could be the year you finally follow through on your resolutions and feel better doing it!
*Per federal guidelines, beneficiaries of plans such as Medicare, Medicaid, Tricare, VHA and other federally funded plans are not eligible for free assessments.
The Athletico blog is an educational resource written by Athletico employees. Athletico bloggers are licensed professionals who abide by the code of ethics outlined by their respective professional associations. The content published in blog posts represents the opinion of the individual author based on their expertise and experience. The content provided in this blog is for informational purposes only, does not constitute medical advice and should not be relied on for making personal health decisions.
Peter Batz is a Doctor of Physical Therapy specializing in orthopedics, vestibular therapy, headache/TMD, dry needling, ACL rehabilitation, and injury prevention. Peter graduated from Northern Illinois University with a Doctorate in Physical Therapy. He also completed an orthopedic residency through Evidence in Motion and obtained his Orthopedic Certified Specialist (OCS). He strives to get his patients back to performing at their peak levels so they can enjoy life to the fullest.