RPT is proud to offer a new physical therapy treatment option known as dry needling. This treatment is based on Western medicine techniques and musculoskeletal pain and dysfunction.

This non-surgical technique for treating pain was first proposed by medical doctors Janet Travell and David Simons in the early 1940’s.

Dry needling is a procedure performed by a physical therapist that uses small needles to penetrate the skin and stimulate the healing of myofascial trigger points – commonly known as muscle knots. The word myofascial means muscle tissue (myo) and the connective tissue in and around it (fascia). When these trigger points are stimulated with needles, the result is pain relief from a localized healing response. The procedure can help restore or reduce damage to the muscles and improve the function of certain body structures. Research has also shown that dry needling can help with many of the following common conditions:

Chronic muscle tension/spasm
tendonitis/tendonosis
Nerve pain
Plantar fasciitis
Scar tissue
Headaches

When you come in for a dry needling appointment, your therapist will evaluate your medical history and the behavior of your symptoms. Pain patterns, posture, movement, and other functions will also be used to determine orthopaedic abilities. After this evaluation, a physical therapist will use the information to guide the administration of the needling interventions to the structures in the body that will likely respond best to the treatment.