Functional Dry Needling
Functional Dry Needling (FDN) is a specific treatment technique that uses a solid, monofilament needle to treat muscle trigger points which commonly lead to pain and discomfort. ​
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A muscle trigger point is a highly localized, hyper-irritable spot in a palpable, taut band of skeletal muscle fibers. These muscle trigger points - which are located throughout the human body - play a role in producing and sustaining feelings of pain and discomfort.
Trigger points develop in muscle for various reasons including referred or local pain, inflammation, tissue injury or other causes.
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FDN works by creating a mechanical stimulation of the muscle via a "local twitch" (aka rapid depolarization of muscle fibers). ​When the needle penetrates the muscle tissue, it creates a microscopic injury at the site. While this injury is too small to cause any lasting damage, it is enough to stimulate a local inflammatory response.
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This response is key to the therapeutic effect:
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Restarting the Healing Process:
In many musculoskeletal conditions, tissues can become stuck in a chronic state of dysfunction, where normal healing has plateaued or failed to fully resolve the issue. By causing controlled microtrauma, dry needling "resets" the tissue environment, jumpstarting a new cycle of tissue regeneration and repair. The body responds to the microscopic injury by increasing blood circulation to the area. This influx of fresh, oxygen-rich blood helps flush out metabolic waste and brings essential nutrients and immune cells to support repair. -
Neurophysiological Benefits:
The stimulation also affects the nervous system—altering pain signaling, reducing muscle hyperactivity, and improving communication between the brain and the affected muscles.
FDN is a natural extension of quality hands on therapy. To be effective, FDN should not be performed as an isolated treatment, but as part of a comprehensive care plan; It is another very specific tool to reduce pain and help patients to better tolerate physical therapy and tailored exercise plan. Successful functional dry needling must be administered by a highly skilled manual therapist, with advanced training in anatomy and musculoskeletal function and dysfunction.
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While dry needling uses the same tool as acupuncture—it is with a different theoretical purpose. Dry needling is based on traditional, studied and tested practices of Western Medicine to restore normal muscle function. Traditional acupuncture is based on normalizing the energy imbalance, or Chi, in the body to cure syndromes.
