Healing Starts Here: Dry Needling for Autonomic Nervous System Regulation
- lisa039464
- Aug 4
- 3 min read
Updated: Aug 7
Research has shown that dry needling is one of the most effective tools we can use to restore autonomic nervous system (ANS) balance in the body. When dry needles are thoughtfully applied with a specific focus on regulating the autonomic nervous system our bodies are brought into a place of balance where they can begin healing and restore the healthy processes we need for everyday life.
Why Target the ANS with Dry Needling?
Nearly all clients present with chronic sympathetic hyperactivity—a nervous system stuck in fight‑or‑flight. This is a byproduct of modern life. Elevated stress hormones suppress healing, lower our pain threshoulds, increase anxiety, disrupt digestion, promote inflammation, and contribute to chronic pain.
This leaves us anxious and irritable, increases inflammation, promotes chronic pain, elevates stress hormones, and suppresses healing, Dry needling offers one of the most direct and potent ways to shift our bodies out of fight or flight (sympathetic dominance) and into a calm and healing state (parasympathetic dominance.) ANS homeostasis.
When the ANS is balanced, healing can begin.
On a day-to-day basis, most of us live in a "keyed-up" state of sympathetic dominance as our baseline status. When we then experience a physical injury, inflammation, tissue damage, illness, pain or emotional stressor our fight-or-flight response is turned up even more. At that point, our ANS is definitely out of balance (homeostasis) If this state persists our mental and physical health begins to fail. Healing can be delayed or prevented.
Our goal with ANS-focused dry needling is to reduce the fight-or-flight response and increase parasympathetic activity, so that restoration can begin. Once the nervous system is more regulated, your body becomes more receptive to other treatments—including stretching, strengthening, and manual therapy.
Therapeutic Benefits You May Experience
Relief of chronic pain and muscle tension
Reduced anxiety and emotional reactivity
General sense of relaxation and well-being
Enhances parasympethic body functions such as:
digestive regulation, improved sleep, and hormonal balance.
This can occur by way of the gut‑brain axis, HPA axis, and vagal connections to heart rate, immune resilience, and more.
How We Integrate Autonomic Nervous System Dry Needling into Your PT Treatment Plan
We incorporate this powerful method into your physical therapy plan in a strategic way. A typical session may flow as follows:
1. Calm the Nervous System First:
We start by targeting specific points that more directly stimulate the vagus or trigeminal nerves. This elevates parasympathetic tone, dampens sympathetic activity, and helps restore ANS balance. Needles are typically retained for around 30 minutes—longer than most traditional PT needling protocols—to allow the full neurological response.
2. Incorporate Low-Frequency Electrical Stimulation
We often apply a gentle electrical microcurrent to the needles to enhance vagal tone and improve clinical outcomes.
3. Treat the pathological tissues
Once your nervous system is in a calmer, more receptive state, we address the true physical issues that brought you to therapy—trigger points, fascial restrictions, scar tissue, strength or stiffness issues, and more.
Conditions That May Improve with ANS Dry Needling
When added to a thorough and customized treatment plan, dry needling for ANS regulation can help with:
Persistent musculoskeletal pain and tightness
Anxiety, insomnia, and emotional dysregulation
Digestive disturbances and autonomic dysregulation
Recovery from surgical scars and neuralgia
Chronic pain
Pelvic floor dysfunction (incontinence, pain, erectile dysfunction)
What Our Clients Report
After ANS dry needling sessions, many clients describe:
A calmer, quieter mind
Reduced anxiety, stress and emotional overwhelm
A deep sense of relaxation and well-being
Longer, more restful sleep
Decreased neck and back pain
Relief from unexpected symptoms like reflux, vertigo, and brain fog
Feeling “more like myself again”
At McKinney Physical Therapy, we believe true healing begins inside your nervous system. When the autonomic system is balanced, the body has the ability to self-correct, repair, and thrive. Dry needling—especially when applied with intention toward vagal and sympathetic regulation—is one of the most powerful tools we have to help you heal at the root level. It’s a perfect complement to the excellent physical therapy you're already receiving.
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RESOURCES
Clancy, J. A., et al. (2014). Non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation in healthy humans reduces sympathetic nerve activity. Brain Stimulation, 7(6), 871–877. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brs.2014.07.031
Maas, E. T., Nienhuis, R. J., & Noten, S. (2021). Autonomic nervous system responses to dry needling: A narrative review. Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, 27, 342–348. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbmt.2021.03.019
