Dry Needling To Reduce Trigger Points and Pain
Chronic muscle pain can limit your ability to perform everyday tasks, from opening jars to playing sports to walking the dog. For many people, this pain is linked to myofascial trigger points: tight, irritable knots in the muscle that can cause localized discomfort or refer pain to other areas of the body.
As an occupational therapist, certified hand therapist (CHT) and certified lymphedema therapist (CLT-LANA) one of my goals is to reduce the barriers pain creates in your daily life. One increasingly used tool in orthopedic and upper extremity rehab is dry needling, a technique aimed at reducing muscle tension and improving movement patterns. While it shares some similarities in form with acupuncture (ie: sterile, fine diameter needles), dry needling is distinct in purpose, practice, and philosophy.
In OT, we incorporate the technique with function and meaningful activity in mind. We consider our “western medicine” training in myofascial and neural anatomy. Dry needling works well for many people, but it is not a treatment for everyone. Your therapist will work with you to determine whether the intervention is appropriate for your issues.
What Are Myofascial Trigger Points?
Myofascial trigger points are hyperirritable spots within a taut band of skeletal muscle or fascia. These points may form after muscle overuse, poor posture, trauma, stress, or repetitive strain. “Nasty little powerhouses of pain,” is my description of these trigger points. They often present as:
- Localized muscle pain or tenderness
- Referred pain (e.g., a shoulder trigger point that causes pain down the arm)
- Decreased range of motion
- Muscle weakness without atrophy
For clients dealing with chronic pain, these trigger points can significantly interfere with functional tasks, especially those requiring endurance, precision, or full range of motion.
What Is Dry Needling?
Dry needling is a manual therapy technique where a thin, solid filament needle is inserted directly into a myofascial trigger point. It is more formally called “intramuscular trigger point release” and requires advanced specialty training to administer. The goal is to elicit a local twitch response which is a brief contraction of the muscle. This response can lead to decreased tension, improved blood flow, and a reduction in pain. Even if a twitch response does not occur, the needle insertion can still produce improvement in many cases.
Unlike other treatments, dry needling doesn’t involve injections, medication, or electrical stimulation in this context. It is a mechanical and neurophysiological approach to breaking the pain-spasm-pain cycle.
The OT Approach: Why Dry Needling?
In occupational therapy, we don’t treat pain just for the sake of eliminating it. We treat it to restore function, participation, and independence. When chronic pain from trigger points affects your ability to perform your occupation. In OT, we define “occupations” as the many things that OCCUPY your time. Whether for you that means returning to work, playing an instrument, or simply lifting a cup of coffee without pain. Your daily activities and necessary occupations become a key focus in your care.
Dry needling is often integrated as part of a broader treatment plan that includes:
- Task-specific retraining (e.g., relearning overhead reaching for dressing)
- Postural correction
- Activity modification
- Ergonomic education
- Manual therapy and neuromuscular re-education
By using dry needling to reduce muscle tension and increase mobility, OTs can more effectively transition clients back into meaningful activity without the same level of pain or restriction.
What to Expect During Treatment
Assessment first: Your OT will perform a detailed musculoskeletal and functional evaluation to determine whether dry needling is appropriate for your condition. You will be asked to consent for care, as this is an invasive technique and you need to feel comfortable as the recipient. You will be informed that if at any point you want the treatment to stop, your therapist will remove the needle immediately. You are in control.
During the session: The needle is inserted into the muscle, often triggering a quick twitch. You may feel a cramp-like sensation or soreness, which usually resolves within 24–48 hours.
Aftercare: Clients are encouraged to move, hydrate, and follow up with gentle stretches or functional movement to reinforce gains in range of motion and pain relief. If it is approved by your doctor, you may take an over-the-counter medication for discomfort such as an NSAID or analgesic. It is safe to apply a cold pack to an area of discomfort. Use of a heating pad in the area that has been treated is not recommended for the first 48 hours, as this could lead to bruising. Because a tiny puncture wound has occurred, out of an abundance of caution, it is advised not to swim or soak in a bath tub for 48 hours after treatment to prevent infection.
Is Dry Needling Right for You?
Dry needling may be appropriate if you:
- Have localized muscle pain or tightness
- Experience referred pain patterns typical of trigger points
- Have plateaued with other conservative treatments
- Are looking to improve your ability to engage in specific tasks limited by pain or mobility
Not all clients are ideal candidates, and OTs who perform dry needling are specially trained and licensed to do so in accordance with state practice acts.
Final Thoughts
Dry needling is a valuable adjunct tool in the occupational therapist’s toolbox when used as part of a larger, client-centered approach to pain and movement dysfunction. It’s not about treating the trigger point in isolation. It’s about freeing clients to move, function, and engage more fully in their lives.
If chronic muscle pain is interfering with your daily routine, talk to an OT trained in dry needling. Together, we can create a plan to help you return to what matters most. If you need Occupational Therapy, Hand Therapy, Lymphedema Treatment or Breast Cancer Rehab near Evanston, IL, click the link below for my website.
Relieve. Restore. Reset—with the precision of dry needling
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