Posted on 7th Oct 2011 @ 2:45 PM

If you suffer from repetitive stress injuries, you've probably tried every remedy on the market. And while it is possible to experience better living through chemistry, many of us would like to find pain relief that doesn't require popping pills or getting injections. Thankfully, there’s finally a new ray of hope for people like us.

The latest (and perhaps greatest) treatment for chronic pain sufferers is called "dry needling." And it goes something like this:

A monofilament (read: tiny) needle is inserted into trigger points, which are basically small contractures of muscle. The needles cause neurological and mechanical changes in soft tissue, eliminating the trigger point and resolving the pain.

Dr. Michael Shin at Redmond Regional Medical Center's Rehab Center in Georgia has seen around 100 patients who have used dry needling as a means of pain relief. So far, what he's seen appears promising.

"These changes help to eliminate the trigger point and any associated pain by decreasing inflammation and modulating response of sensory nerve fibers to pain," says Dr. Shin, who is smarter than us.

It might sound like acupuncture, but Dr. Shin says it's completely different. Acupuncture treats and prevents disease by improving the flow of energy, or Qi, throughout the body. Dry needling directly treats "soft tissue dysfunction," according to Dr. Shin.

Conditions responding to dry needling include lower back pain, neck pain, tendonitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, sciatica, jaw pain, ankle sprain, plantar fasciitis and Achilles tendonitis. It's often a last ditch effort for patients who have tried everything to get pain relief.

Possible side effects include soreness at the site of treatment, which can last from a few hours to a few days, and infection. The risk of infection can be greatly reduced by using disposable needles and observing the usual infection control precautions.