Dry Needling in Adeje

It is a technique exclusive to physiotherapy, in which fine monofilament needles, like the ones used in acupuncture, are inserted into muscle, ligaments, tendons, subcutaneous fascia and scar tissue. Nothing is injected: the needle itself is the treatment, which is where the name comes from.

To understand exactly what dry needling is, you first need to understand trigger points and myofascial pain.

Trigger points are hyperirritable spots within a muscle, associated with a palpable, tender nodule in a taut band of tissue.

They occur when the sarcomeres, the parts of the muscle fibre where contraction takes place, remain permanently contracted because of a continuous release of acetylcholine. This stops the muscle fibres from relaxing and reduces blood flow, which in turn causes ectopic impulses and neuromotor dysfunction.

Myofascial pain is a common syndrome that can affect up to 10% of the adult population, and it can be behind both acute and chronic pain.