Dry needling uses thin, solid needles placed into tight, tender spots in a muscle. It is called dry because nothing is injected. Many people find it eases pain quickly, but it works best as one part of a plan, not as the whole treatment.

What it does

A needle placed in a tight band of muscle often causes a brief twitch, and the muscle relaxes afterward. That can calm pain for a few days and make it easier to move and exercise. We use that window to load the muscle and joint properly.

What it does not do

• It does not fix the reason the muscle became overloaded.

• It does not replace strength work, and the relief fades without it.

• It is not acupuncture. The needles look alike, but the goal and the reasoning are different.

What a session feels like

You feel a small prick, then sometimes a deep ache or a twitch in the muscle. Needling takes about 10 to 15 minutes and is added to a regular visit, followed by exercise. You may feel sore for a day, as you would after a hard workout.

Before your first session

We go through your medical history first. If you take blood thinners, are pregnant, or simply would rather not have needles, tell us, and we will choose another way to get the same muscle moving.