Dry needling for plantar pain

Used to treat myofascial pain, dry needling uses acupuncture needles to stimulate trigger points in order to ease pain in induce healing.

When an area becomes painful, trigger points become evident in the soft tissues around the area.  These trigger points are “contraction knots” and are related to the production and maintenance of the pain cycle.

Although acupuncture needles are used, the technique of dry needling differs greatly in it’s approach and use.

Deep dry needling for treating trigger points was first introduced by Czech physician Karel Lewit in 1979.  Lewit noticed that injections into myofascial trigger points gave relief but seemed to be unconnected to the drug being injected.

The technique of dry needling produces localised twitch responses and is thought to activate the body’s own chemical pain control system.

Needle phobia

Dry needling is an invasive technique and can itself be quite painful.  For those who dislike or even fear the use of needles, myofascial trigger points can be treated manually, in much the same way that pressure is applied by a practitioner’s finger in reflexology.

Treatment by single diode therapeutic Laser is also thought to be able to stimulate the same trigger points and is not invasive or painful.

More information

Dry Needling – Find out more about dry needling

NAMTPT – National Association of Myofascial Trigger Point Therapists – Find out more about myofascial pain.