Dry Needling

During my outpatient clinical experiences, I have seen dry needling performed in

conjunction with exercise, manual therapy, and modalities. Many patients returned to

physical therapy and stated they had improvements in their musculoskeletal

impairments such as increased muscle length and the decreased pain that is associated

with length, I performed an in-service on this intervention because physical therapist

assistants are now allowed to become certified to perform this intervention to help

patients with muscle relaxation, increasing circulation, and decreasing inflammation.

The effects of dry needling are fast-acting and short-term when used in isolation, but on

average, patients demonstrate an improvement in motor performance within 24-48

hours as observed from my experiences. Even though this intervention may not work for

every patient, I hope to become certified in this skill so that I can make a change in the

impairments of those who benefit from it.

It is important to note that dry needling must be used in addition to other

interventions such as those listed previously. Many patients are hesitant to proceed with

dry needling for reasons such as phobias of needles or fears of an intense inflammatory

response to the needles. Physical therapists must provide their patients with well-

rounded education regarding the intervention so that their patients engage with

informed consent.