Stubborn knots that massage never quite fixes? Certified dry needling releases trigger points at their source — delivered one-on-one by a Doctor of Physical Therapy, and always paired with a plan to keep them from coming back.
Medically reviewed by Dr. Devon Hoffman, PT, DPT, CSCS, Cert. DN · August 2026
Dry needling is a treatment in which a licensed physical therapist inserts thin, sterile filament needles into tight bands of muscle — trigger points — to release tension, improve blood flow, and reduce pain. At RISE Physical Therapy, dry needling is performed by certified clinicians as part of one-on-one, 45-minute sessions at our Boise and Nampa, Idaho clinics.
Dry needling is a skilled, anatomy-based technique used by physical therapists to treat myofascial trigger points — the taut, tender "knots" that form in overworked or protectively guarded muscle. Your therapist inserts a very thin filiform needle (the "dry" simply means nothing is injected) directly into the trigger point. The goal is to trigger a local twitch response: a quick, involuntary contraction that helps the tight band of muscle let go.
Trigger points do more than just ache. They can refer pain to other areas — a knot in your upper trapezius can drive headaches, and one in your glutes can mimic sciatica. They also change how a muscle fires, which is why a stubborn trigger point often sits underneath problems like tennis elbow, neck pain, or plantar fasciitis that haven't responded to stretching alone.
Dry needling and acupuncture look similar — both use fine filament needles — but they come from different worlds. Acupuncture follows traditional Chinese medicine meridians; dry needling follows your anatomy. Your RISE therapist chooses needle placement based on a hands-on exam of your muscles, movement, and pain pattern, then treats the specific tissue that reproduces your symptoms.
Dry needling appears to work through several overlapping mechanisms. Mechanically, the needle and its twitch response appear to disrupt the dysfunctional contraction of the trigger point, reducing tightness in the taut band. Locally, needling increases blood flow to tissue that has been starved of it, helping flush the chemical irritants that accumulate inside trigger points. And neurologically, the needle stimulus dampens the pain signaling loop between the muscle and the spinal cord, which is one reason relief can extend beyond the needled spot itself.[1]
Dry needling has been studied extensively over the past decade. The honest summary: it reliably reduces pain and improves pressure sensitivity in the short to medium term, and it works best when combined with exercise and other physical therapy care — which is exactly how we use it.
Across 13 randomized trials, dry needling by physical therapists reduced pain and improved pressure pain threshold versus sham or no treatment in the short term.
View study →In patients with hip or knee osteoarthritis, dry needling produced meaningful short-term improvements in both pain and physical function.
View study →For musculoskeletal shoulder pain, dry needling combined with electrical stimulation improved pain and disability across randomized controlled trials.
View study →Deep dry needling combined with stretching reduced trigger point pain more effectively than stretching alone — supporting needling as part of a plan, not a stand-alone fix.
View study →Dry needling is used for a wide range of musculoskeletal problems where trigger points drive or feed the pain. At RISE Physical Therapy in Boise and Nampa, we most often reach for it with:
Dry needling is a tool, not a treatment plan. Every session at RISE is a full 45 minutes one-on-one with the same Doctor of Physical Therapy — so needling is always preceded by a real assessment and followed by the work that makes results stick.
A full movement and hands-on exam to identify which trigger points — and which habits — are behind your pain.
Dry needling plus hands-on manual therapy to release the taut bands and restore normal muscle behavior.
Targeted strength and mobility work so the muscle stops overworking and the knot doesn't return.
One-on-one sessions with a certified dry needling provider — no referral needed in Idaho.
Devon is a co-founder of RISE Physical Therapy. He earned his Doctorate of Physical Therapy at Idaho State University, has been a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist since 2021, and received his dry needling certification in 2022. Meet the full team →
