Dry Needling for Migraine

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You might have been hearing about migraine patients who are finding relief with a relatively new technique called “dry needling”. Today we’re going to take a brief look at this treatment – how it’s done, and what it’s for.

A “dry needle” is simply a needle with no fluid in it. In fact, a practitioner will probably use a solid needle – in other words, a needle that cannot deposit or remove fluids.

Dry needling often uses acupuncture needles.

During treatment, needles will be inserted into various areas of the body for the treatment of pain. If this sounds like acupuncture, there are actually many similarities. In fact, acupuncture needles are sometimes used. But dry needling is actually different in many ways, with different goals.

The most common type of dry needling focuses on myofascial trigger points. Treating trigger points has been a common approach to treating migraine by physical therapists. The treatment works with muscles and chemical processes in the body, and may help keep migraine attacks from being triggered.

And so, the needle goes into the muscle tissue, often with the goal of eliciting a “twitch response”.

It is difficult to describe dry needling in a short article, because, like many newer migraine treatments, it is done in many different ways. There is also very little regulation, which means that practitioners have a lot of freedom – but also no standardization. Little regulation can also mean the danger of someone who really doesn’t know what they’re doing – or even people who use needles that are contaminated.

However, dry needling is a generally safe treatment if you see a physical therapist who is trained in the technique. If possible, find a therapist who has experience with migraine patients. This is an excellent treatment to go to through word of mouth, although the search can be frustrating if there isn’t a good clinic offering dry needling in your area.

Is dry needling superior to other treatments that target trigger points? That is a matter of opinion. With such a new treatment, studies are limited.

Our community would be very interested to hear if you have had experience with dry needling for migraine or headache, so please leave a comment! Meanwhile, to learn more, check out: