Well, yes. A massage therapist can do dry needling if he has all the required skills of it. Moreover, some progressive courses teach the dry needling technique in therapy programs. The massage therapist shall also have the license to perform dry needling. Only then a massage therapist can do it.
The therapists perform this needling technique to release the stress and knots in certain muscles. You will see that your therapist left the needles on some of your muscles for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, he will give massages to your other body parts.
These are not just enough. There is more to know about the dry needling process and how a massage therapist can perform it. Have a glance at this article.
Can a massage therapist do dry needling?
Sometimes, the traditional remedial massages are not enough for the clients. Especially, when they are in a lot of pain and tension. Besides, it becomes hard for them to withstand high pressure and strains. In that case, the massage therapists go for dry needling. It’s one of the valid reasons why massage therapists want to adopt this technique.
It’s not unbelievable that a massage therapist can do dry needling. Because there are lots of massage therapist programs where the dry needling task is included. Some dry-needling courses meet the requirements of the Association and Insurers. This helps massage therapists gain insurance, CPD points, and safe needling techniques.
Once the therapist learns the physiology of dry needling, protocols in dry needling, expectations in dry needling, etc, they tend to be eligible for this task.
Usually, acupuncturists perform dry needling in hospitals along with acupuncture. But it seems debatable when we hear that a massage therapist can also do dry needling. A massage therapist can do dry needling if he is prepared with this skill.
Dry Needling Therapy Courses
Not all therapists can do dry needling since all the remedial massage courses do not offer such a skill. However, some advanced diplomas in remedial massage and myotherapy courses teach dry needling to therapists. It’s just an upskill for massage therapists to provide extra services to their clientele.
Before a massage therapist is ready to offer dry needling to his client, he gets ready with some requirements. You can say they have to learn remedial massage with Osteo, Chiro, Physio, etc. Again, some dry needling courses for massage therapists offer CPE points which ensures the ability of the therapists.
An overview Of Dry Needling
Now let’s get into the concept of dry needling. You can refer to it as myofascial trigger point dry needling or trigger point dry needling. Massage therapists use this technique to treat myofascial dysfunction and muscular pain.
If you see, the remedial massage therapists and myotherapists use dry needling to release the trigger points in the body. This ultimately improves the range of motion, relieves pain, and eliminates the knots in the muscles.
Importance Of Dry Needling
Your massage therapist will ask you for dry needling if he sees some symptoms. Like- trigger points with tight muscles or if you can’t handle strong pressure during the massage sessions. Again, some clients want quick results in the flexibility of their bodies. In that case, dry needling is beneficial.
Dry Needling Is Not So Painful
Don’t think that the insertion of the dry needle is going to be painful. It can be either absolutely painless or hurt you very little. The client can feel a bit heavy with tingling feelings.
If you feel a slight ache, that’s a good thing. Other effects can be, a twitch response in the body, buzzing sensations, and so on. Well, the sensations will reduce after the needles are taken out. But there can be even one percent of sensation for up to 6 hours.
Feeling Of Dry Needling
The massage therapists and myotherapists use specifically designed needles for inserting into the myofascial trigger points. Before that, he will find that trigger point. While inserting, you will feel like a pin is pricking you.
After the insertion, the needle will create micro-tears around the tissue and release the muscle and endorphins. This improves the blood circulation of the body as well.
It depends on the client’s outcome, for how much time the needles are to be kept. Usually, the therapist leaves the needles idle for about 5 to 20 minutes.
Some clients prefer dry needling sessions over massage therapy since it gives fast results.
During the session of dry needling, there is nothing that the massage therapist cannot offer you massage at that time. If he wants, he can insert the dry needles into the specific muscles and provide massage to other parts of your body. This depends on how much relaxation you need. Alongside, your massage therapist can achieve more.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I get a massage after dry needling?
Sometimes the dry needling can be heavy on the muscles and tissues. Besides, it is obvious to bleed after this needling so you can see some sores in your body. At that time, it is better not to get any massage for about 24 to 48 hours. Especially, the strenuous cardio and strenuous weightlifting shouldn’t be done immediately after the dry-needling process. However, your massage therapist can understand better whether it would be safe to get a massage after the dry needling or not.
Who can perform dry needling?
As a rule of thumb, only a licensed physical therapist can perform dry needling. Anyways, massage therapists can also perform this dry needling if they meet all the requirements and have the appropriate license. Other than that, medical doctors, chiropractors, medical doctors, and acupuncturists perform dry needling to relieve the patients’ myofascial pain.
Can Massage therapists do acupuncture?
A remedial massage therapist can do acupuncture if it is in the scope of massage therapy practice. Some advanced massage therapy courses offer the practice of acupuncture to explore the skills of massage therapists.
Do dry needling techniques release knots?
Dry needling is an effective technique to remove muscle knots. The therapists insert the dry needles on the trigger points where a knot has been formed in the muscles. As the knots of the muscles go through interruption, they start to get released. Well, the dry needling therapy does not hurt that much. The pinch of hurt you will get is the first step of your relaxation.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, you got to know an oriented distinction about dry needling. If you still have the question,- can massage therapists do dry needling, the answer is yes. He just needs to have the skill which must be included in his diploma or massage therapy training program.
The dry needling technique has great demand when it’s about releasing excess stress from the muscles. There are some dry-needling courses too. The massage therapists who have not yet practiced the dry needling technique, experience these courses later. This helps them to provide additional services to their clients.
So, this is all. Let us know through the comment section below if you have any queries. Thank you.
