Electrotherapy with dry needling
Ongoing pain and tightness can be very frustrating and painful. It can reflect overuse, a previous injury, or changes in how your muscles and nerves are communicating with each other. When that’s the case, adding a different type of input to your treatment can help.
That’s where electrotherapy with dry needling comes in, and it’s now available at our clinic with Dr Mimi Ferrer, who has completed additional training in this technique.
What is Electrotherapy?
Dry needling uses very fine, sterile acupuncture-style needles placed into specific muscles or trigger points. With electrotherapy, a small, gentle electrical current is then passed through the needles for several minutes.
Because the stimulation is delivered directly into the muscle, it can reach deeper tissues than surface (skin) electrodes alone.
What does it feel like?
Most people describe a mild tingling, buzzing or rhythmic muscle “pulsing” sensation. The current is adjusted to your comfort, so it should never be painful. Muscles often feel a little tired or sore afterwards, similar to after a workout, and this usually settles within a day or two.
How might it help?
As part of an individualised treatment plan, electrotherapy with dry needling may help to:
Reduce muscle tension and guarding
Ease pain
Improve muscle activation, particularly where a muscle isn’t “switching on” well after injury or pain
Support recovery from muscle and nerve-related conditions
Research suggests that electrical stimulation delivered through needles can influence how pain signals are processed by the nervous system, and can increase local blood flow to the treated area. The evidence base is still developing, and results vary between people. That’s why we use it as one tool among several, not a stand-alone fix.
Who can benefit?
Electrotherapy with dry needling may be considered for people with:
Ongoing muscle tightness or trigger points
Neck and back pain
Sciatica-type symptoms
Sports injuries and return-to-sport rehabilitation
Other musculoskeletal conditions
Is it right for everyone?
No, and that’s why every patient starts with a thorough assessment. Mimi will discuss your history, examine the area and explain whether this approach is appropriate for you. It may not be suitable if you have a pacemaker or other implanted electrical device, epilepsy, a bleeding disorder or are on certain medications, or are pregnant. Needle-shy? Let us know. There are plenty of other ways we can help.
How it fits into your care
Electrotherapy works very well with hands-on osteopathic treatment, exercise prescription and practical advice to help you understand what’s driving your symptoms and how to keep improving between appointments. The aim is to find the cause, not just quieten the symptoms for a few days.
You can book an Electotherapy session which will predominately use this modality, or speak to Mimi to tailor a session for your needs.
Ready to get started?
If muscle tightness or pain has been hanging around longer than you’d like, book an appointment with our team. Mimi will assess what’s going on and talk you through whether electrotherapy with dry needling could form part of your plan.
Dr Mimi Ferrer has completed extra training in advanced dry needling as well as electrotherapy.
This article is general information only and isn’t a substitute for individual health advice. Treatment suitability depends on your assessment.