One at a time, Erin inserted thin needles into trigger points, which are hard or knotted muscle, helping to release the knot and relieve any muscle pain or spasms. Some needles she'd insert and then remove, and others she'd leave in for a minute or so, as you can see in the photo. Actually, when I saw these photos of my shoulder, I was shocked so many needles were in me — it felt like only one!
Both sessions lasted about 15 minutes. Erin used a Theragun to massage the area first, then she performed the dry needling. I definitely felt the needle going in and poking around, which she explained was to further stimulate the muscle. Some areas felt way more intense and painful than others, such as the top of my shoulder and my lat under my armpit.
Every so often, I'd feel my muscle spasm or a sensation travel down my arm. It hurt more than I thought it would, and I even joked that natural childbirth was easier. Deep breathing helped me get through the discomfort, as well as having positive thoughts that this was helping heal my shoulder.
After dry needling, Erin massaged and stretched my upper back and arm with CBD lotion. She then moved my arm in different ways to test my pain and range of motion, and both were greatly improved. I was shocked!