My Weekend as a Human Pin Cushion

6/22/25

Hey Hey from Denver, CO!!!

I just completed a course in dry needling and spent the weekend being poked at with needles and fully resembled a human pin cushion. (kind of…)

Human pin cushion may be an exaggeration, BUT the good news is I am now certified in Functional Dry Needling, meaning dry needling is now something that we can use in the clinic as another tool to help get you back to doing the things you love doing. I wanted to answer some questions you might have about this modality and if you have more please feel free to reach out to me via email, text or call.

What is Dry Needling?

“Dry Needling is a skilled technique; using filiform needles to penetrate the skin and/or underlying tissues to affect change in the body structures and functions for the evaluation and management of neuromusculoskeletal conditions, pain, movement impairments and disability” This is NOT acupuncture. Dry needling focuses on muscular placements versus meridians like you may often see in an acupuncture setting. The goal of functional dry needling is to make a positive change whether it be improved range of motion, flexibility, strength or performance by treating an area with a goal of making an impact on one or more body systems.

Why did I spend my weekend getting this certification and how does it differ from other muscle work techniques I am already using for you in the clinic?

Dry needling can get much deeper and affect the muscle DIRECTLY and can invoke change a little bit quicker than some of the manual muscle work can that I usually do. Usually we will hook the needles up to electrical stimulation and that will help elicit different changes we want to see by either helping a muscle “fire” that has been a little lazy lately or get muscles to relax that have been a little overactive for some time. It depends on the goal of the treatment but usually the results are pretty immediate. I have had my own positive experiences with dry needling within my own journey and I have found it to be incredibly beneficial with certain things I see e often in clinic and wanted to be able to offer it to my patients, as well.

Are there risks associated?

For sure, but they are relatively rare and minor and before I dry needle anyone, we will be going through a separate consent form to make sure you are fully aware of the risks and feel safe prior to us doing this technique.

Will EVERYONE be dry needled by Dr. Maggie now?

Probably not. Just like any treatment modality, it depends on what your needs are and what our goals of treatment are. If you don’t feel safe or comfortable then it is a 100% absolute NO to dry needling because your comfort and safety always always come first. However, it is a fun tool to use and can help make some impressive changes so it might be offered to you. But once again, it is YOUR comfort level and what you want/need so we will discuss that together.

As always, if you have questions and want more info, please feel free to reach out, I would love to answer more questions if you have them. I am excited to have this as another way we can help get you back to moving and feeling the best you possibly can.

See you soon,

Dr. Maggie Koethe