Dry needling
Dry needling — or intramuscular stimulation — is a modern physiotherapy technique. A fine sterile needle is inserted directly into an active trigger point: a taut, tender band within a muscle that produces local or referred pain.
It's called 'dry' because nothing is injected. The aim is mechanical and neurophysiological: a local twitch response followed by a reduction in muscle tone and pain. Placement is determined by anatomy and palpation, not by predefined points.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture originates in traditional Chinese medicine and places needles at defined points along meridians. In modern clinical practice it is used mainly for pain relief, with the neurophysiological explanation for its effects still an active area of research.
At our Nea Smyrni physiotherapy clinic, acupuncture is offered as a complementary option for pain management within a physiotherapy plan — not as an alternative to medical treatment.
When they're indicated
Both techniques are used mainly where marked muscle guarding is limiting movement and hasn't responded sufficiently to manual therapy and exercise:
- Myofascial neck and upper trapezius pain
- Cervicogenic headache
- Chronic low back pain with trigger points
- Shoulder pain with supraspinatus and subscapularis guarding
- Tennis elbow
- Plantar fasciitis and calf pain
Safety and what to expect
Only sterile single-use needles are used. Insertion is usually barely felt; a brief twitch or deep cramping sensation follows when the trigger point is reached — this is expected and short-lived.
It's normal to feel muscle soreness for 24–48 hours, similar to after hard training. Minor bruising is possible. The techniques are avoided or modified for people on anticoagulants, with needle phobia, in pregnancy, and over areas with local infection.
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