Dry needling
Dry Needling Physiotherapy in Singapore
By the Phoenix Rehab physiotherapy and hand therapy team. Last updated 3 October 2026.
A spot in the neck or shoulder that feels like a hard marble. You stretch it, roll it, rest it, and it is back the next morning. Dry needling puts a fine needle into that tight band of muscle, as one part of an appointment that also treats why it keeps tightening.
Part of a 45-minute appointment, $230, nett, no GST. No extra charge for the needling.
What dry needling is
Dry needling places a sterile, single-use filament needle into a myofascial trigger point: a tight, tender band in a muscle that often refers pain somewhere else, like a knot at the top of the shoulder that sends pain up into the head. “Dry” means nothing is injected.
It is not acupuncture. Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese medicine practice based on meridians, done by our TCM physician. Dry needling goes where the physiotherapy assessment points: the muscle, the band, the spot that reproduces your pain.
Why the knot keeps coming back
A trigger point is usually the muscle’s response to something else: a desk set-up it holds all day, a joint below it that has stiffened, a load it was not ready for. Needling the band can ease it. If nothing else changes, it tends to come back. That is why we never use dry needling on its own as the plan. It sits inside an appointment that also works on the joint, the movement and the load.
What we use it for
What it feels like
The needles are much thinner than the ones used for injections or blood tests. You may feel a small prick as it goes in. When it reaches the trigger point, the muscle often gives a brief twitch, which feels like a quick cramp and then lets go. Soreness for a day or two afterwards is common.
We explain what we are going to do and ask for your consent before we start. You can say stop at any point.
When dry needling is not used
We screen for these at your first appointment, which is why dry needling can only be booked on its own after that:
- Pregnancy, for some areas
- Blood-thinning medicine or a bleeding disorder
- An infection or broken skin over the area, or swelling from lymphedema
- A strong fear of needles
- Over the chest wall, unless the therapist is sure of the depth, because of the lung underneath
Shortness of breath or chest pain after needling near the chest, upper back or shoulder is a 995 call.
Who does it, and where
Ching Yee, Principal Physiotherapist
Tanjong Pagar, and Jurong East from 25 October 2026
Dry needling as part of physiotherapy appointments.
Yuna Zhuang, Principal Hand Occupational Therapist
Serangoon, Tampines and Orchard
Dry needling for the upper limb: elbow, forearm, wrist and hand.
Assessment & Treatment
Per 45-minute appointment, nett, no GST. Dry needling, when it suits your problem, is part of the appointment at no extra charge. We find what is actually limiting you and treat it in the same appointment.
Questions
Before you book
Can I book dry needling on its own?
Yes, after your first appointment. We assess you first to check there is no reason dry needling would be unsafe for you. After that, it can be booked as its own appointment.
Is dry needling safe?
Done by a trained physiotherapist or hand therapist with single-use, sterile needles, serious problems are rare. Soreness and small bruises are the common side effects.
How many appointments will I need?
It depends on the problem and how long you have had it. Your therapist sets the plan at your Assessment & Treatment and reviews it at each stage.
Is it the same as acupuncture?
No. Both use fine needles, but acupuncture follows TCM meridians and is done by our TCM physician. Dry needling follows the physiotherapy assessment. More about acupuncture →
A knot that keeps coming back?
Tell us where it is and how long it has been going on. We will tell you which therapist and which clinic.
Where we are
Clinics across Singapore
ORCHARD
400 Orchard Road #12-12
Orchard Towers, S238875
NS22 Orchard MRT
Physiotherapy and hand therapy in Orchard →
WhatsApp 8800 1830TAMPINES
9 Tampines Grande #01-20
Asia Green, S528735
EW2DT32 Tampines MRT
Physiotherapy and hand therapy in Tampines →
WhatsApp 8780 9608SERANGOON
265 Serangoon Central Drive #04-269
S550265 · Lift C only
NE12CC13 Serangoon MRT
Physiotherapy and hand therapy in Serangoon →
WhatsApp 8892 4121TANJONG PAGAR
10 Anson Road #02-77A
International Plaza, S079903
EW15 Tanjong Pagar MRT
Physiotherapy and hand therapy in Tanjong Pagar →
WhatsApp 8227 7074JURONG EAST
2 Venture Drive #02-02
Vision Exchange, S608526
NS1EW24 Jurong East MRT
Opening 25 October 2026
Physiotherapy and hand therapy in Jurong East →
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