Which is better for pain and disability: Dry Needling or Corticosteroid Injection?

Dry Needling vs Cortisone Shots – Which Wins for Pain Relief?

One of the most common questions I get asked in the clinic is:👉 “Should I try dry needling, or should I just go straight for a cortisone injection?”

Great question! Let’s dive in.

A 2021 study took a closer look at this debate, comparing dry needling with corticosteroid (CS) injections for pain and disability. And the results? Pretty interesting:

✨ For myofascial pain: There was no difference between dry needling and cortisone injections when it came to improving pain or disability.✨ For conditions like plantar fasciitis or tennis elbow: Cortisone might have a slight edge in the short term—but the evidence isn’t strong enough to call it a clear winner.

So what does this mean for you? Dry needling stacks up surprisingly well against cortisone injections—without the potential side effects that can come with steroids. That’s good news if you’re looking for a natural, hands-on approach to pain relief!

At the end of the day, the right choice depends on your body, your goals, and your preferences—and that’s exactly what we help you figure out in clinic.

Dry Needling Therapy

Q: What is dry needling?It’s a technique using fine needles to release muscle trigger points and relieve pain.

Q: Is dry needling the same as acupuncture?No, acupuncture is based on traditional Chinese medicine, while dry needling targets specific muscle knots.

Q: Does dry needling hurt?Most people feel a brief twitch or ache, followed by muscle relief.

Q: What conditions benefit from dry needling?Back pain, neck pain, sports injuries, and chronic muscle tension.

We have been helping our community for over 10+ years with their muscle and spinal problems. Please call Health Wise Chiropractic at 03 9467 7889 or book online to see if one of our Chiropractors in Sunbury or Melton/Strathtulloh could do the same for you!

OR

Chiropractic has moved online. We offer our online programs -STAND CORRECTED- To help you through the day.

They contain health advice for your conditions, nutritional advice, and exercises for you to do at home or at the workplace to help you achieve your health goals.

We understand that coming to the Chiropractic clinic may be costly and time-consuming.

This way if you can't make it into the chiropractic office, you can do any of our 20+ online health programs at your leisure.

Enjoy and we hope they spark a little bit of joy and help you achieve your health goals.

Each program contains

- Information about the conditions

- things to do and things to avoid

- nutrition advice

- all the stretches that are needed to help

The following conditions are now available for online sessions

• migraine
  

• cervicogenic headaches
  

• cervical facet neck pain
  

• tension headaches
  

• cervical radiculopathy (pins and needles in the arm originating from the neck)
  

• shoulder impingement relief
  

• thoracic outlet syndrome
  

• frozen shoulder
  

• rotator cuff
  

• chronic lumbar (Low Back) disc pain
  

• acute Lumbar(low back) disc pain
  

• Lumbar facet pain
  

• sciatica and piriformis syndrome
  

• meniscus (knee pain)
  

• Plantar fasciitis (Foot Pain)
  

• Shin Splints
  

• Tennis Elbow/Golfers elbow
  

• Carpal tunnel Syndrome
  

• Upper Crossed Syndrome( Poor Posture)
  

• Lower Crossed Syndrome ( Poor Posture)
  

• Dizziness-Vertigo
  

• Arthritis
  

• Welcome To Chiropractic
  

• TMJ (Jaw Pain)
  

Reference

Corticosteroid injection or dry needling for musculoskeletal pain and disability? A systematic review and GRADE evidence synthesis.

Sousa Filho LF, Barbosa Santos MM, Dos Santos GHF, da Silva Júnior WM. Chiropr Man Therap. 2021 Dec 2;29(1):49. doi: 10.1186/s12998-021-00408-y.

Results

Six studies were included (n = 384 participants). Four musculoskeletal conditions were investigated. There is very low-quality evidence that CSI is superior to DN for reducing heel pain (plantar fasciitis) and lateral elbow pain at short- and medium-term follow-up, but not for myofascial pain and greater trochanteric pain. There is very low-quality evidence that DN is more effective than CSI at long-term follow-up for reducing pain in people with plantar fasciitis and lateral epicondylitis. Very low-certainty evidence shows that there is no difference between DN and CSI for disability at short-term follow-up. One study showed that CSI is superior to DN at medium-term follow-up and another observed that DN is superior to CSI for reducing disability at long-term.