Dry needling in Clarksville: how we use it and what it feels like

Dry needling means placing a thin, solid filament needle into a taut band of muscle or a trigger point. Nothing is injected. At Source Chiropractic in Clarksville, dry needling is done by a chiropractic physician, and we use it as one part of a plan for muscle and soft-tissue findings, not as a stand-alone treatment.

Is dry needling the same as acupuncture?

No. The needles look alike, and that's why people mix the two up. Acupuncture is its own practice, with its own theory and training. In Tennessee, a chiropractic physician can practice acupuncture only after 250 hours of accredited acupuncture education, a national exam and a letter from the Board, under Rule 0260-02-.02(4). Dry needling is a muscle technique. We aim the needle at a specific muscle finding from your exam, and what we're after is a local response in that tissue. This page covers dry needling only. If it's acupuncture you're looking for, call us and we'll tell you if it's offered here and by whom.

Who can do dry needling in Tennessee, and who does it here?

Under Rule 0260-02-.02(2)(b) of Tennessee's rules for chiropractic physicians, dry needling is one of the treatments a chiropractic physician has the authority to perform, alongside adjustment, manipulation, manual therapy, rehabilitation and physical agent modalities. At Source Chiropractic, dry needling is done by one of our chiropractic physicians. If you'd like to know that doctor's dry needling training before your first session, it's a fair question, and it's on the list at the bottom of this page.

What do we use dry needling for?

In our office, dry needling may be used on the muscle and soft-tissue part of a nerve, muscle or joint problem, when the exam shows it's a good fit. That means taut bands and trigger points we find on exam in the neck, upper back and shoulder, the low back and hip, and the muscles that play a part in some headaches. It's also one of the things we may use for plantar fasciitis and heel pain, when the exam turns up a muscle finding. The needle goes to a finding, not to a diagnosis. If the exam doesn't turn up a muscular component, there's nothing for a needle to do, and we don't offer it.

What does a dry needling session feel like?

A thin, solid needle goes through the skin and into the target muscle. Most people feel a quick pinch, then a deep ache or heaviness in the muscle, and sometimes a brief twitch they can't control. Those are the responses we're looking for. The needles are sterile and single-use, and they're thrown away after your session. It's common to be sore at the spot for a day or two afterward, and mild bruising can happen. We usually combine a needling session with other care in the same visit, such as an adjustment or exercise guidance, instead of giving it alone.

What are the risks of dry needling?

Minor side effects are common and expected. In a prospective survey of 7,629 treatments by trained physical therapists in Ireland, the common ones were bruising, bleeding and pain during or after treatment, and no significant event occurred. A 2026 systematic review of 59 studies found minor adverse events reported in anywhere from 0% to 48% of treatments, depending on the study and what it counted. You'll find that research in the notes further down this page.

Serious harm is uncommon, but it's real. The same review found major adverse events reported in 0% to 0.43% of treatments, and case reports describe pneumothorax, a punctured lung, after needling of the muscles over the chest wall and around the shoulder blade. That risk comes from placing a needle near the lungs, and it's the reason technique, angle and depth matter so much. If chest pain or shortness of breath starts during or after a session, call 911 or go to an emergency department and tell them where the needles were placed. Don't wait to reach us first.

Before a first session, we need to know if you take blood-thinning medication, have a bleeding disorder, an implanted device or a compromised immune system, are pregnant, or have a fear of needles. Each of those matters when we decide if dry needling is right for you.

What does the research say about dry needling?

Most of the trials looked at dry needling done by physical therapists. Reviews of those trials find it can reduce pain and tenderness in the weeks after treatment compared with no treatment or sham needling, and they rate the quality of that evidence as very low to moderate. The same reviews find it isn't clearly better than other hands-on or exercise-based care, and any benefit past three months is uncertain. For low back pain with trigger points, dry needling combined with other treatment did better than dry needling alone. For chronic neck pain, it reduced pain but wasn't better than physical or manual therapy for function.

Taken together, the research describes a modest, short-term tool that belongs inside a plan, and it can't tell you what your own result will be. We don't lean on it alone. The trials also mix different techniques and different levels of training, so one trial's result doesn't describe every needle placed by everyone.

What are the alternatives to dry needling?

For a muscle finding, the alternatives are the rest of the plan: exercise and progressive loading, massage therapy for hands-on soft-tissue work from a licensed therapist, manual therapy and adjustment when a joint finding is part of the picture, and time, since many muscle complaints settle down. NICE, which writes the clinical guidelines for England's NHS, puts activity and exercise first for low back pain. Medical care and physical therapy answer different needs. If what we find isn't something we treat, we'll tell you. And if a muscle complaint keeps going and doesn't match what the exam found, that's a reason to look again, not to needle harder.

What should I ask before booking dry needling?

• What finding are we treating, and how will we know it's changed?
• What dry needling training do you have, and how often do you do it?
• Why needle this, instead of treating it by hand or with exercise alone?
• What will I feel, and when should I tell you to stop?
• What does each session cost, and when will we check progress?

If we are not able to help you with your problem or are unable to reduce your pain levels, we will make sure to give you a recommendation to another experienced provider.

If needles make you uneasy, tell us at the start. There are other ways to work on a tight muscle, and they're listed above.