Dry needling, trigger point therapy, and Intramuscular stimulation (IMS) are effective therapies to treat muscle pain, including myofascial pain syndrome and increased range of motion. Acupuncture needles are inserted into the muscle and surrounding bands of tissues where hypersensitivity is occurring to stimulate the nerves to relieve pain. These trigger points appear in consistent patterns and common areas of tenderness and thus are mapped and categorized into 3 types. Active trigger points are painful almost all of the time. Latent trigger points only hurt when they are being touched and often refers pain to other areas of the body. Satellite trigger points are often caused when pain is referred to an active trigger point who then refers pain to a third location. This cascading effect can mask the source of the pain. When done with acupuncture it is effective at releasing muscle tension and balancing vital energy also known as chi.
