A lot of chiropractic patients deal with muscle tightness, stiffness, or that deep knot that never seems to go away. These issues often build up from work stress, long hours sitting, hard training, sports, or old injuries that never fully resolved. When muscles stay tight or irritated, it can limit how you move and lead to ongoing pain that keeps coming back.
At KC Spine and Sport in Overland Park, one of the most effective ways we treat stubborn muscle tension is by combining dry needling with electrical stimulation and the Graston Technique. When used together, these treatments help muscles relax more completely, improve mobility, and support your body’s natural healing process.
Dry needling uses a very thin, flexible needle that is placed directly into tight or irritated areas of a muscle. Nothing is injected. The goal is to help the muscle release from the inside out. In our office, dry needling is often paired with electrical stimulation. Small clips attach to the needles and deliver a gentle electrical pulse that creates a light tapping or pulsing sensation in the muscle.
This stimulation helps the muscle relax more fully, reduces pain signals, increases blood flow, and supports faster healing. Most patients say it feels strange at first but not painful, and many describe it as the muscle finally letting go.
The Graston Technique focuses on the outer layers of muscle and connective tissue. It uses smooth stainless steel instruments that glide over the skin while controlled pressure is applied. This allows us to find and treat areas of tightness and restriction more precisely than using hands alone. Graston helps break down scar tissue, release stubborn knots, improve flexibility, reduce inflammation, and increase circulation. Patients often describe it as a deep massage using a tool, with pressure kept within a comfortable range.
These two treatments work extremely well together because they address muscle tension at different levels. Dry needling with electrical stimulation helps release the deepest and most stubborn parts of the muscle first. Once those deeper fibers relax, the tissue becomes much more responsive to Graston work.
Graston then helps smooth out the remaining restrictions closer to the surface so the muscle and surrounding tissue can move more normally. The electrical stimulation increases blood flow and calms irritated nerves, while Graston helps move old tension out of the area and improve circulation even further.
Together, this combination helps reduce soreness, restore normal movement, and speed up recovery. Both techniques also help reduce pain naturally. Dry needling calms overactive muscles and lowers pain signals, while Graston improves tissue movement and reduces strain on the joints.
Many patients notice better flexibility, less stiffness, improved posture, and better results from chiropractic adjustments once tight muscles are no longer pulling their body out of alignment.
This combination is especially helpful for neck pain, low back pain, tension headaches, shoulder tightness, sciatica-like symptoms caused by muscle tension, hip or IT band tightness, hamstring and calf stiffness, overuse injuries, and sports-related soreness. It works particularly well for long term tightness that keeps coming back despite stretching or massage.
Both dry needling and Graston are safe when performed by a trained professional. Mild soreness can happen, similar to what you might feel after a workout, but it usually improves quickly with hydration and light movement.
By combining dry needling with electrical stimulation and the Graston Technique, we can address muscle pain from multiple angles and help your body reset and move more comfortably.
If muscle tightness or recurring pain is limiting how you move or train, KC Spine and Sport can help you get lasting relief and better results from your care.
Dr. John McNeely
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