Dry Needling
in Long Island City

What is Dry Needling?

Dry needling is a treatment technique that targets tight or dysfunctional muscle tissue contributing to pain and restricted movement. At LIC Acupuncture & Wellness, it is performed by licensed acupuncturists with extensive training in musculoskeletal and orthopedic needle technique.

When muscles remain contracted or unable to relax, they limit normal movement and place excess stress on joints and surrounding tissues — affecting how you exercise, how you perform at work, and how you move through your day. Dry needling addresses these areas directly, releasing tight muscle fibers and restoring more normal muscle function.

LIC Acupuncture & Wellness is located in Long Island City, Queens, serving patients from Queens, Manhattan, and Brooklyn.

How Does Dry Needling Work?

Dry needling works by placing thin, sterile needles directly into tight or dysfunctional muscle tissue — specifically into trigger points, which are localized areas of muscle that have become contracted and are unable to relax on their own.

Trigger points develop when muscle fibers remain in a sustained state of contraction — what's often called a muscle knot. These areas become increasingly sensitive to pressure and can send pain to other parts of the body, limit range of motion, and alter how surrounding muscles and joints function.

When a needle is placed directly into a trigger point, it produces a local twitch response — an involuntary contraction and release of the muscle fibers. This response helps break the cycle of sustained contraction, restore blood flow to the area, and allow the muscle to return to a more normal resting state. As the muscle relaxes, pressure on surrounding joints and tissues decreases and movement that was restricted by chronic tightness can improve.

For longer-standing conditions, changes in muscle function and mobility typically develop over several treatments rather than immediately.

What Does Dry Needling Feel Like?

During treatment, thin, sterile needles are placed into the muscles contributing to pain or restricted movement.

Patients may feel a brief sensation in the muscle when the needle reaches the affected area. This can sometimes feel like a twitch or a dull, achy sensation within the muscle.

It is also common to feel temporary soreness in the treated muscles afterward, similar to the feeling after exercise or a deep tissue massage. This usually resolves within a day or two as the muscle relaxes and recovers.

Conditions Dry Needling Can Help

Dry needling is commonly used to treat musculoskeletal pain and orthopedic conditions where tight or dysfunctional muscle tissue contributes to pain, restricted movement, or nerve irritation.

Neck Pain

Neck pain often involves tight muscles in the neck, shoulders, and upper back. When these muscles remain contracted, they can limit mobility, contribute to tension headaches, and create strain across the neck and shoulder. Dry needling helps release these muscles and restore more comfortable movement.

→ Learn more about Neck Pain Treatment

Shoulder Pain

Shoulder pain frequently involves tight or overworked muscles around the rotator cuff, shoulder blade, and upper back. When these muscles lose normal function, shoulder movement can become restricted and painful. Dry needling helps release these muscles and improve shoulder mobility.

→ Learn more about Shoulder Pain Treatment

Back Pain

Back pain can involve muscles along the spine from the upper back through the lower back. Tight spinal muscles can limit movement, increase stress on the joints of the spine, and contribute to persistent pain or stiffness. Dry needling helps release these muscles and restore more normal movement.

→ Learn more about Back Pain Treatment

Sciatica

Sciatica refers to pain that travels along the path of the sciatic nerve, typically starting in the lower back or hip and radiating down the leg. While disc irritation is one cause, tight muscles in the lower back, hips, or glutes can also contribute to pressure on the nerve. Dry needling helps release these muscles and reduce tension that may affect the nerve.

→ Learn more about Sciatica Treatment

TMJ & Jaw Pain

Clenching, grinding, and jaw pain are often linked to tight muscles in the jaw, neck, and shoulders. Dry needling helps release these muscles and reduce strain in surrounding areas, leading to less pressure, fewer headaches, and greater comfort.

→ Learn more about TMJ & Jaw Pain Treatment

Sports Injuries

Repetitive stress from sports or training can create areas of tight or overactive muscle that fail to relax even during rest. When these muscles remain contracted, they alter how joints move and distribute force, increasing stress on tendons, ligaments, and surrounding tissues. Dry needling addresses the muscle dysfunction directly — releasing persistent tension and restoring more normal muscle activation patterns.

Joint & Muscle Pain

Tight or overactive muscles place excess stress on nearby joints and limit normal movement. As these muscles remain contracted, pain often persists even after the initial injury has healed. Dry needling releases this persistent muscle tension, restoring more normal muscle function and reducing the stress placed on joints.

How We Address Dry Needling Treatment

Assessment and Treatment Planning

Before treatment begins, we assess what areas are contributing most directly to your pain and movement restriction. This includes evaluating your movement patterns, identifying areas of muscle tightness or dysfunction, understanding what activities aggravate your symptoms, and determining how these restrictions affect your daily function.

Release Muscle Tension

Dry needling is applied to areas of tightness or dysfunction contributing to your pain and movement restriction. The needle placement produces a local response that releases persistent muscle tension and restores more normal muscle activation. For longer-standing conditions, improvement typically develops progressively across multiple treatments.

Restore Movement and Function

As muscles regain normal function, movement patterns begin to normalize. Joints that were restricted by chronic tightness move more freely. The stress placed on joints, ligaments, and surrounding tissues decreases as muscle tension resolves. Over the course of treatment, many patients find that activities that were previously limited — reaching, lifting, exercising, or sitting comfortably — become more accessible again.

Support Longer-Term Recovery

Dry needling addresses the muscle tension contributing to your symptoms, but sustaining those results often depends on also addressing the movement patterns and physical demands that created the problem. When appropriate, we may recommend massage therapy or physical therapy as additional services — massage to address tension in surrounding tissue, physical therapy to correct movement patterns, rebuild strength, or reduce the stress placed on the affected area over time.

What to Expect

Consultation

You meet one-on-one with a licensed acupuncturist who takes time to understand your condition — your history, symptoms, and what's limiting your movement or activity. We assess areas of muscle tension and restriction and determine whether dry needling or another approach is appropriate.

Treatment

Sessions are hands-on and focused. The needles used are thin — you may not notice when one is inserted, or feel a brief pinch or sharp sensation. When the needle reaches a tight area, the muscle may twitch briefly — a normal response that helps the muscle release. You may also notice a dull ache or mild soreness around the needle. Some tenderness afterward is common for a day or two, similar to the feeling after exercise or deep tissue work. Treatment is always done to your comfort level.

Progress

Most patients notice changes within the first few sessions. Longer-standing conditions typically require more time as muscle function and movement patterns improve. Early on, sessions may be closer together if symptoms are significantly limiting activity. As things improve, frequency tapers.

Return to Activity

The goal is to restore normal muscle function so you can return to the activities that matter — whether that's exercising, working without discomfort, or moving through your day without limitation. Treatment continues until improvements hold and you're able to maintain them on your own.

Patient Experiences

"I went for acupuncture and specifically dry needling. The consultation was thorough and tried to address all the issues that would need to be worked on. Treatment was wonderful and the expectation of improvement was clearly mapped out." — Gabriel W.

“I've had chronic back pain from a sports injury for over 10 years. Even after multiple treatments, including surgery, I still had intense pain. After six months of treatment at LIC Acupuncture, my pain significantly reduced. I can now work out, lift objects, and play sports with much less discomfort.” — Nathan B.

“I was suffering from severe tennis elbow and could barely type or brush my hair. After treatment the pain calmed significantly and the inflammation in my shoulders improved.” — Vivien P.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is dry needling painful?

Most patients tolerate dry needling well. You may feel a brief pinch or sharp sensation when the needle is inserted, and a dull ache or twitch when it reaches the muscle. Some soreness for a day or two afterward is normal.

Is dry needling safe?

Dry needling is generally considered safe when performed by trained medical professionals. At LIC Acupuncture & Wellness, treatments are performed by licensed acupuncturists with extensive training in anatomy and musculoskeletal treatment.

Single-use sterile needles are always used, and treatment is performed carefully to ensure safety and patient comfort.

How many dry needling treatments will I need?

The number of treatments depends on the condition being treated and how long symptoms have been present.

Some patients notice improvement within a few sessions, while longer-standing or more complex conditions may require a longer course of treatment as muscle function and movement patterns improve.

What conditions can dry needling help with?

Dry needling is commonly used for musculoskeletal conditions where muscle tension contributes to pain or restricted movement. This may include neck pain, shoulder pain, back pain, sciatica, sports injuries, and other muscle-related pain.

Do I need a consultation before treatment?

Yes. Treatment begins with a consultation to review your symptoms, health history, and goals. This helps determine whether dry needling or another treatment approach is most appropriate.

In many cases, treatment can begin during the same visit.

Is dry needling the same as acupuncture?

Dry needling and acupuncture both use thin needles to treat muscle tension and pain, and the techniques overlap considerably. At LIC Acupuncture & Wellness, our licensed acupuncturists use dry needling to target specific trigger points, restricted muscles, and areas of dysfunction contributing to pain and limited movement — assessing movement patterns, pain location, and how symptoms behave to guide treatment.

Can acupuncturists perform dry needling?

Yes. Licensed acupuncturists receive extensive training in musculoskeletal anatomy and needling techniques. At LIC Acupuncture & Wellness, we use dry needling to treat muscle pain, tension, and movement restriction across a range of orthopedic and musculoskeletal conditions.

Additional Services

Massage Therapy

Massage therapy helps release muscle tension, improve circulation, and support recovery from muscle strain or overuse.

→ Learn more about Massage Therapy

Physical Therapy

Physical therapy focuses on restoring movement, improving strength, and addressing movement patterns that may contribute to ongoing pain or injury.

→ Learn more about Physical Therapy

Dry Needling in Long Island City

LIC Acupuncture & Wellness is located in Long Island City, Queens.

Our clinic provides dry needling treatment for muscle pain, sports injuries, and orthopedic conditions for patients throughout Queens, Manhattan, and Brooklyn.

Individual results may vary. No guarantee of specific results is warranted or implied. See full disclaimer.