Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
summer girl hawaii yoga hiking exercise view high res version
summer girl hawaii yoga hiking exercise view high res version
Tessa Pesicka / Her Campus
Wellness > Health

My Experiences with Dry-Needling

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UNL chapter.

So a little backstory before we begin…

 

A few years back I was in a car accident where I broke my neck. I had surgery and since then things have been mostly normal. I am able to be active for the most part and I can do just about everything I did before the accident; however, I often suffer from back and neck stiffness, shoulder pain, and headaches. 

 

I know that my issues stem from my accident and that my spine doctors say that this is all pretty normal, but pain isn’t, nor should it ever be a normal part of someone’s day to day life. 

 

A lot of people would go to the chiropractor for back issues but because I had broken bones in my spine and surgery I’m very wary of anything that has to do with moving or cracking bones, which I think is a fair way to feel. 

 

So after a lot of suggestions from family and friends I decided to inquire about acupuncture and dry-needling. 

 

I didn’t know the difference at first, but essentially acupuncture works to alter the flow of energy to help with mood and pain, while dry-needling works to alleviate pain and induce healing by targeting nerve impulses. The two are often confused.

 

I ended up getting dry-needling because I know exactly what’s causing my pain and why. And after my check-up I learned that my neck, shoulder, and back muscles were all extremely tight and full of knots.

 

So here are some of the things I like and things I think people should consider before doing dry-needling. 

 

THINGS I LIKE:

  1. The relief when the needled are removed:

    It does hurt a little when the needles are in but when they’re pulled out it feels pretty good. 

  2. The directness of the pain relief:

    I like that the needles are directly targeting my pain areas unlike taking medicine or doing topical massages or heat treatments.

  3. The lack of pain:

    Compared to a lot of things the pain is very minimal. I have a higher pain tolerance, but I think almost anyone could handle this.

  4. The price:

    Depending on where you live the prices will vary. I go to my local chiropractor for my dry-needling and I get great care at a great price.

 

THINGS TO CONSIDER:

  1. Your pain tolerance: 

    It hurts a lot less than a tattoo, It hurts less than giving blood, and It hurts a little less than a flu shot. I don’t think it really hurts much at all, but you will have a little bit of soreness afterward because your body is healing.

  2. Why you need pain relief:

    If you’re looking for immediate results this isn’t the best route, you will likely feel better after the first session, but it takes more sessions to get better or complete relief. 

  3. Your budget:

    I go weekly, but you could go more often or less depending on your time and budget. Student health centers likely have dry-needling available for students at a reasonable price. 

 

MY FAVORITE RESULTS:

  1. Falling asleep easier- I can get comfortable so much faster!

  2. Less Strain- Looking down at my laptop and books for class is less straining

  3. Working out is easier- I can do more of the workouts I used to without neck and back pain.

 

Overall if you’re looking for pain relief that’s quick and easy and affordable, dry-needling works and I’ve had great experiences and results so far. It’s definitely something worth looking into because I feel much better. 

Agriculture and Environmental Science Communication Major, class of 2021. Passionate about agriculture, writing, and art (of all kinds)!! I pride myself in being a pun aficionado and I love finding good new music!