Medical acupuncture, also referred to as Dry Needling can greatly help relieve muscular tension and associative pain. The needles are placed into areas called myofascial trigger points. These trigger points are taut/contracted areas of muscle tissue that can cause a lot of discomfort and associative dysfunction. These areas often form due the muscle being weak and under repetitive demand, they can also result from stress and other conditions.
It is not uncommon for headaches to arise from these trigger points in the surrounding shoulder and neck musculature.
Medical acupuncture usually causes minimal discomfort, if any. What’s known as the localised twitch response can be achieved, which is where the muscle contracts and then relaxes, removing the trigger points. A skilled practitioner is able to create this reaction and relieve pain often very quickly. The needles also help stimulate blood flow to the muscle, and help release the bodies endorphins to counteract pain.