What Does Drypointing Mean And What Are The Benefits?

Drypointing is one of many new innovative methods in physiotherapy. This is a new evidence-based treatment method for improving muscle pain. In this article, we will tell you more about its usefulness in various muscle-related problems.

In order to understand what drypointing is and how it works,  we first want to clarify two concepts: trigger points and myofascial pain.

Trigger points

Trigger points are extremely sensitive areas in certain muscles. These areas of muscle are made up of muscle fibers that exhibit abnormal tension. It, in turn, creates a uniform area in the muscle, which manifests as a contraction of the muscle.

This area is painful and has a trigger point at the nodule that, when touched, causes sharp pain. The pain is so intense that it makes a person shy away. This pain also radiates to other areas where there are no trigger points. It can occur in conjunction with motor dysfunction or other phenomena such as dizziness and nausea.

Muscle trigger points usually radiate to specific areas and give the physiotherapist a clue as to where the problem is located. For example, the headache may be due to a trigger point located in the sphincter, the platform elevator muscle, or the nodule muscle.

Such pain is not necessarily related in any way to the area from which the pain originates. Trigger points can be active or hidden. An active trigger point means that the pain radiates to other areas. If, on the other hand, the pain is latent, it means that it does not cause pain.

Trigger points can be activated by acute or chronic muscle overload and associated trauma. The most common trigger is chronic overexertion due to postural problems.

Myofascial pain

Myofascial pain is due to a regional muscle process that can be either acute or chronic. It can make you immobile and its prevalence is common, but many people are not aware of it. It does not usually show up as a change in imaging or analytical tests and is therefore an underdiagnosed problem that is not adequately treated.

Symptoms of trigger point-induced myofascial pain include:

• Sensitive symptoms. There is a change in the feeling of touch. For example, if you hit something that wouldn’t normally hurt, then this time you’ll feel pain. It also involves the radiation of pain to the rest of the body, as we said earlier.
• Motor symptoms. The damaged muscle becomes more difficult to move and its strength decreases.

• Autonomic symptoms  such as runny nose, tear duct inflammation, salivation, temperature changes, sweating, piloerection, dizziness, nausea and reddening of the skin.

There are three components to myofascial pain:

• Clear tension in the skeletal muscle or contraction.
• Trigger point.
• A pattern characteristic of pain radiation in which a trigger point results in pain felt in a particular area.

Drypointing: what is it used for?

Dry needling is a physiotherapeutic treatment method used mainly for myofascial pain. When the Therapist finds the trigger point it causes, it should be deactivated using a needle. The needle is similar to an acupuncture needle, but longer because it has to reach a muscle.

In order for this process to be done, the area must be cleaned thoroughly and the physiotherapist must use gloves, disinfectants and gauze. Dry needling is a rather invasive method because it penetrates the patient’s skin. The needles are packed in individual packs and cannot be reused.

The therapist inserts the needle into the trigger point without anesthesia, moving from the inside out until a local spasm – an involuntary contraction of the muscle – occurs. The therapist performs the procedure without pulling the needle out of the skin.

Is drypointing the same thing as acupuncture?

Dry needling is a scientific method in which a trained physiotherapist performs needle therapy in a muscle to manage myofascial pain. It lasts 2-5 minutes and can be painful.

Acupuncture, on the other hand, is based on traditional Chinese medicine and involves needle therapy at energy points only on a superficial level. It therefore has no contact with the muscle. The treatment lasts about 2o minutes and is not painful. It can treat many ailments and can be performed by a trained Therapist.

Risks of drypointing

The risks are minimal, but  most of them can be avoided with proper caution and when treatment is performed by a trained physiotherapist. Listed below are the potential risks:

• The needle goes through the skin into the muscle and there may be small blood vessels in between. The most common risk of drypointing is associated with a blood vessel rupture that can cause a small bruise. The bruise usually disappears in a day. This risk is more common in patients taking thinner blood with thinner blood medicines.
• The therapist may inject the nervous system on the way to the muscle. This causes a tingling sensation, which, however, usually goes away after a while.

• Dizziness is also one of the most unusual risks. It can occur during the procedure. It is technically a “vasovagal” reaction.
• There are few reported cases of this, but if a physiotherapist has no experience with dry needling of the pectoral muscles, an error made by the therapist can cause airway.
• Muscle swelling or contraction may occur.
• It can also lead to post-needle dermatitis.
• There is also a risk of inflammation with drypointing if the Therapist does not provide adequate cleansing of the area. The therapist should also wear gloves and / or sterile needles.

Dry needling can cause a feeling similar to what you might feel after a really intense massage. However, it will subside after 1-2 days.

Side effects of drypointing

Most side effects are relative. These include:

• Insurmountable fear of needles.
• Blood clotting problems and anticoagulant therapy due to the potential risk of bleeding.
• People with weak immune systems have a higher risk of getting an infection.
• People who have had lymph node removal surgery are at risk of suffering from a lymphatic circulation disorder. (This means that the area to be dry-needle-filled is filled with unfiltered fluid because there are no more lymph nodes).
• Hypothyroidism increases the risk of muscle inflammation.

Is drypointing effective?

Several studies have shown that drypointing is effective:

• In terms of subjective and objective pain reduction both locally and in the referred pain area. It also reduces the pain caused by trigger points.
• In improving the mobility of joints associated with muscles located at trigger points .

• There is not yet sufficient evidence for this, but drypointing appears to ameliorate depression in  patients with myofascial pain.

Therapists also found that certain things can affect the effectiveness of drypointing. Such things include prolonged pain suffered by the patient, lack of sleep, and repetitive muscle work.