Dry Needling in Toronto
At Leaside Sports Medicine, we understand how frustrating chronic pain can be. Our registered physiotherapists use dry needling as a treatment modality to help patients relieve stubborn muscle knots, reduce discomfort, and restore mobility.
Whether you’re dealing with neck stiffness, muscle knots, or ongoing soreness, dry needling offers a safe, evidence-based approach that targets the root cause of pain and helps your body heal.
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What is Dry Needling?
Dry needling involves inserting fine, sterile needles directly into tense muscle bands and myofascial trigger points. This helps release muscle tightness, improve blood flow, and promote healing, often when other treatments have failed to fully resolve the issue.
At Leaside Sports Medicine, our sports medicine team may recommend dry needling alongside other therapies to address the root cause of your pain, helping you return to your regular activities sooner.
How We Can Help
Dry needling can be an effective treatment for a range of conditions, including:
Persistent neck pain and headaches
Chronic knee pain and stiffness
Hip pain that limits daily activities
Muscle spasms that won’t go away
Ongoing soreness from sports or work
Osteoarthritis-related discomfort
Recent muscle strains and injuries
Long-standing chronic pain conditions
And more
Dry Needling Applications
Trigger points can cause pain both at the source and even push that discomfort to other areas of the body. By targeting these points with a needle, we’re able to stimulate a twitch response in the muscle, helping it relax and reset. As circulation improves and tension decreases, the body is better able to heal. At our Toronto clinic, we utilize dry needling to treat a wide range of conditions, including mobility limitations, chronic pain, and sports injuries.
Increase Range of Motion
Dry needling can help reduce inflammation, improve circulation, and alleviate muscle pain by targeting specific trigger points and stimulating the body’s natural pain-relieving mechanisms.
Pain Relief & Recovery
By addressing myofascial trigger points and provoking a ‘twitch response’ through dry needling, we help relieve pain while promoting faster healing. Our treatments work synergistically with physiotherapy, chiropractic, massage therapy, and other modalities to enhance your recovery process and restore optimal muscle function.
Sports Injuries
Whether you’re a runner dealing with a calf strain or achilles tendinopathy, a swimmer experiencing shoulder discomfort, or a golfer looking to relieve elbow pain, our trained team will work with you to develop a targeted treatment plan that addresses your unique concerns.
Our Dry Needling Treatment Process
Initial Assessment
We start with a thorough discussion about your pain, lifestyle, and goals. Our team takes time to explain how dry needling works and address any concerns you might have about the treatment process, ensuring you feel completely comfortable before we begin.
Personalized Treatment Plan
Every person’s pain is unique, which is why we create customized dry needling programs tailored to your specific trigger points and muscle tension patterns. We focus on the areas causing you the most trouble while working systematically to relieve pain throughout your body.
Integrated Care
Your journey to pain relief doesn’t end when you leave our clinic. We provide ongoing support, track your progress, and adjust your treatment plan as needed. Our goal is to help you maintain long-term relief and prevent future episodes of muscle pain and tension.
Valerie Hawke
Valerie Hawke is a Physiotherapist at Leaside Sports Medicine.
She has over 16 years of experience as a physiotherapist. She achieved her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Shenandoah University and earned her Honours Bachelor of Science from the University of Guelph. Valerie has practiced in Canada and internationally in the United States and Australia. She brings a wealth of knowledge in orthopaedic rehabilitation, dry needling, kinesiotaping, pilates (matwork), pelvic health, and vestibular training.
Rachel Poole
Rachel Poole is a Physiotherapist at Leaside Sports Medicine.
She completed her Kinesiologist degree at Western University and earned her Master of Physiotherapy Studies at the University of Queensland in Australia. Her specialties include concussion management, acupuncture, and dry needling. Rachel firmly believes that movement is the best medicine and incorporates movement into every treatment plan, working closely with each client.
Suzie Foreman
Suzie Foreman is a Physiotherapist at Leaside Sports Medicine.
Suzie graduated from the University of Toronto with a B. Sc. (PT) in 1986. Over her 35+ years of practice Suzie became a certified sports physiotherapist and Gunn IMS practitioner. In addition, she is a level 3 manual therapist. Suzie has worked with rep, provincial and national athletes and at different sporting events like the Toronto Marathon and the Special Olympics.
Aside from general orthopaedic and sports injuries, Suzie has a tremendous amount of experience with TMJ patients and patients with hip and knee osteoarthritis.
