Integrative Dry Needling Forum - Recent Posts

RE: Tinnitus, fullness, deep ear pressure. Needling Tensor Veli Palatini.

Dan — Tue, 01 Sep 2026 17:12:27 +0000

Thank you. That does help. I think the craniocervical course would be a good one for me to do too given a lot of the patients I tend to see. I'll look out for when that is in northeast Ohio next.

DN for Trismus

Derek Ray — Sat, 29 Aug 2026 02:20:31 +0000

I have a patient with a very difficult case of trismus following radiation for tongue and throat cancer that I recently started needling. We received MD clearance before starting. I was just wondering if anybody has any experience with or tips for this sort of thing, as he's only been able to open his mouth about 10mm on his best day even after 8 weeks of prior ROM interventions. I've only done the Foundations course, so I've been sticking to what I can reach by using the zygomatic arch as a bony backdrop plus the greater auricular point.

Thanks!

RE: Pennsylvania State Board Accepting IDN as part of CEUs

Frank Gargano — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 17:09:31 +0000

Hey Eduardo,

Did my team reach back out to you about your question- PA is a grey area for sure so just wanted to confirm

Frank

RE: Post ACL surgery

Nina — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 18:30:41 +0000

I would be focused on needling into all the areas that are swollen with .15mm needles as discussed in foundations courses. That is more than likely heavily preventing most end range motion. I would also encourage you to include the majority of the lower leg homestatic points: ITB, saphenous point, common fibular and tibial point as they all share some functions of the lower leg which contribute to tib fib mobility as well as the screw home mechanism (either directly or indirectly) especially when referencing CKC flexion/extension. I would also encourage you to needle into the ITB as it’s often a restrictor of both end range flexion and knee extension.

for me, my #1 priority would be to eliminate swelling and using neural points to help modulate inflammation in that limb. I would go back to the lumbar spine for segments that innervate the knee (L3/L4 primarily) and then use homeostatics of the limb. As well as many little needles in the pockets of swelling— even a little bit of visual swelling can be highly compromising especially 4 months post operatively. This also begs the question what is the rehab looking like when you are not the provider? Is it too aggressive? Is it not preparing her for her ADLs, or should she be sent back to her physician to look again at the joint as to why she is still swollen?

Post ACL surgery

Kelly Colbert — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 16:24:16 +0000

I have a 42 yo patient who is 4 months post ACL surgery, she still has some swelling surrounding the knee, decreased ROM: flexion and extension, and is having a hard time contracting the quads and balancing on that one leg. She is working with a PT for exercises, and coming to me for dry needling. I am focused on quads and lateral popliteal for first appointment and she already improved a little in flexion and stated it felt different in a good way. But before next appointment i wanted to hop on here and get any insights on specific things i should look for, or needle. Thanks so much

RE: Tinnitus, fullness, deep ear pressure. Needling Tensor Veli Palatini.

Frank Gargano — Sat, 01 Aug 2026 16:25:14 +0000

Hi Dan sorry for the delay I was out of the country. Sounds like you have done a good job up to this point with your treatment progression but since symptoms remain then TVP is the next option however I would not suggest DN of the TVP- while I agree with you it would likely be helpful it is not a procedure we teach. Doing this "blindly" is not recommended and at minimum would require an MSK US unit and even then would be difficult.

That said you are correct the TVP needs addressed and in my craniocervical course I teach the manual release of it. The TVP can be accessed just past the hard palate into the soft palate so a manual compression with a "sweep" of the finger toward the same side ear can indirectly effect the TVP and I have had good results including teaching the patient how to do it when it flares back up and causes the Eustachian tube type symptoms which are like you describe above.

How that helps

RE: Patellar bursitis

Frank Gargano — Sat, 01 Aug 2026 16:14:53 +0000

Yes around it fine - you dont need to "pierce" the bursa and yes I would do it every other day for a few days to gauge the response. Obviously it has been going on for 5 weeks so DN wil be an adjunct to address the neurochemical issues but will need additional management that you may already be doing and the DN will facilitate you making progress.

RE: Patellar bursitis

Caleb Brudi — Sat, 01 Aug 2026 16:11:03 +0000

By "around the area" you mean just throughout, but directly int the bursa? Would the frequency of needling be closer to 1x a week, or would I want to needle at a higher frequency to maintain the anti-inflammatory response? (For reference this is my own knee, so I have some flexibility)

RE: Patellar bursitis

Frank Gargano — Sat, 01 Aug 2026 16:06:47 +0000

Hey Caleb,

I am assuming there are no open areas or redness that would indicate an infection. If that is the case yes small gauge 1/2" needles around the area can facilitate an anti-inflammatory effect and assist in fluid movement.

Patellar bursitis

Caleb Brudi — Sat, 01 Aug 2026 16:00:22 +0000

Would needling directly into a infra patella bursa decrease the swelling? Been swollen about 5 weeks, slightly warmer than non affected side but otherwise no signs of infection.