As Everett transitions from summer hikes and lake days to rainy mornings, cooler evenings, and fall sports, many people experience new or lingering aches. Whether it’s stiff joints from the colder weather, sore muscles from soccer season, or tension from back-to-school stress, fall is a prime time to support your body with targeted therapies like dry needling.

Dry needling is a physical therapy technique that uses thin, sterile needles to release muscle trigger points, reduce pain, and improve mobility. It’s not acupuncture — it’s a science-based approach that focuses on treating musculoskeletal dysfunction.

Benefits of Dry Needling in the Fall Season

1. Relieve Seasonal Muscle Stiffness

As temperatures drop, muscles naturally tighten. Dry needling can release knots and improve blood flow, keeping you limber during Everett’s chilly, wet months.

2. Support Fall Sports & School Activities

From football and soccer players to band members carrying heavy instruments, fall activities can trigger repetitive strain. Dry needling reduces muscle fatigue, speeds recovery, and helps prevent injury.

3. Address Desk & Device Strain

With students back in class and adults spending more time indoors on computers, “tech neck” and upper back pain become more common. Dry needling targets those tight postural muscles.

4. Manage Stress-Related Tension

Seasonal transitions — new routines, shorter days, holiday planning — often show up as tight shoulders, jaw pain, or headaches. Research supports dry needling’s role here:

Seasonal transitions — new routines, shorter days, holiday planning — often show up as tight shoulders, jaw pain, or headaches. Research supports dry needling’s role here:

1. A 2024 randomized trial in the Journal of Personalized Medicine found that dry needling significantly reduced headache intensity and the number of active trigger points in patients with tension-type headaches (Read study).
2. A 2021 systematic review in Physical Therapy reported that while dry needling performed similarly to other treatments for short-term headache pain, it produced greater improvements in disability outcomes for tension-type and cervicogenic headaches (Read study).

How Dry Needling Works Alongside Chiropractic & PT

Dry needling is most effective when combined with a personalized care plan. At our Everett office, we often integrate it with:

1. Chiropractic adjustments for alignment.
2. Physical therapy exercises to strengthen and stabilize.
3. Massage therapy for relaxation and circulation.

This whole-body approach ensures that muscles release, joints move freely, and your body adapts well to the seasonal shift.

Signs You Might Benefit from Dry Needling This Fall

1. Persistent muscle tightness that stretching doesn’t fix
2. Sports-related soreness or injuries
3. Neck and back pain from studying, working, or commuting
4. Headaches or jaw tension from seasonal stress
5. Stiffness that feels worse in cold, damp weather

Serving Everett & Snohomish County Families

We support patients throughout Everett, Mukilteo, Marysville, Lynnwood, and surrounding Snohomish County communities. If fall aches, sports injuries, or seasonal tension are slowing you down, our team can create a plan that integrates dry needling, PT, chiropractic, and massage therapy to keep you active and pain-free.