What to Expect After Dry Needling: Soreness, Recovery, and Self-Care Tips

So you were just Dry Needled…now what?!

Dry Needling the Subscapularis Muscle

Understandably, people want to know what to expect after dry needling: what this is going to feel like after needling and how long the soreness will last.  It is so variable, my friends.  But here are some basic pointers. 

If we’re talking about glutes:  it usually feels like a massive “leg day” workout that you feel for the next 12-24hrs or so.  You’ll sit and feel fine and then go to stand and remember “OH THERE IT IS”.  Like I’ve mentioned, it’s not usually the end of the world for most people. 

I usually recommend heat and gentle movements throughout the day of whichever area was needled.  Just like after a big workout, remaining stationary for hours at a time afterwards will only create more soreness.  The same holds true for needling. 

If you had the muscles of the calf needled, I recommend doing ankle circles or the ankle alphabet throughout the day to keep the muscles moving a bit. 

It is fine to workout after being needled.  Some crazy person in one of my needling trainings finished class and went on a 10-mile run.  I’m pretty sure he was exhausted thereafter…but not sure if any of it was the needles Though running 10 miles after needling is probably not your best choice, a general workout is fine as long as you are feeling good enough to do it. 

Though I typically recommend heat (because we’re releasing tight tissue and heat is best for that), if ice works better for you, then go for it.  Many people will ask if they can take Ibuprofen or something similar after needling.  Recommendations on taking medications is out of the scope of a PT’s practice, so I tell them to do what feels best to them.  However, just allowing the process to happen naturally is best. 

I know a lot of this is a bit wishy-washy, but it does highly depend on the person.  There are basic recommendations but again, everyone is different.  If your soreness is lasting more than a couple of days, definitely discuss this with your therapist.  It doesn’t mean they did anything wrong necessarily, but maybe this technique isn’t the best for your body.  

And if you keep needing the same stuff needled, something is going wrong with your “homework” from therapy.  Either you’re not making changes that need to be made (in terms of sitting, standing or gait), you’re not strengthening or releasing the right things at home…or your therapist hasn’t asked you to do these things and that’s a whole other issue unto itself. 

Hopefully this gives you some insight as to what to expect after needling.  But please, talk to your therapist before you are needled to get specific information based on the area you are getting treated.

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