Carrollwood · Tampa Bay
Dry Needling in Tampa
Dr. Bobby Koser, DC, chiropractic physician, certified in dry needling by the Florida Department of Health.
Thin needles placed into the muscle to treat trigger points (tight, painful knots in a muscle) and myofascial pain (pain from the muscle and its covering tissue): by feel, or guided by live ultrasound when precision matters most. You see Dr. Bobby Koser, DC, chiropractic physician, at every visit.
Two ways we do it
Dry Needling Session: $80
Dry needling for muscle knots and myofascial pain: headaches, neck and shoulder tension, low back and hip pain. Most trigger points are treated by feel, and that’s this visit.
Ultrasound-Guided Dry Needling
Dry needling performed with live ultrasound, so we can see the needle reach the exact spot we’re treating, and so can you, on the screen. Used when precision matters most: deeper areas that are hard to reach by feel, or a specific trouble spot we want to confirm visually as we treat it. Your ultrasound image and written findings go in your chart.
We’ll tell you which one fits your problem, and why, before we begin.
Dry needling and acupuncture are different treatments, with different exams and separate prices.
What dry needling is used for
- Headaches
- Neck and shoulder tension
- Low back and hip pain
- Elbow, knee, calf, and foot muscle pain
- Jaw and facial muscle pain, treated with hands-on technique; ultrasound is not used to guide needling in the jaw
- Stubborn muscle knots
Dry needling here is used for trigger points and myofascial pain.
What a visit is like
- We examine first. We find the muscles reproducing your pain by hand. On a Pain Source Exam we may also take a live ultrasound look at the area, and you watch the screen with us while we explain what you’re looking at.
- We treat. Thin needles into the muscles we identified. Most people feel a brief, deep ache. Many describe it as a “good ache.” Sessions are unhurried. The needling itself takes anywhere from a couple of minutes to ten or fifteen, depending on what we are treating.
- We re-check. We measure again as we go, so what changed is something you can see rather than something you have to guess at. Our goal is for you to need as few visits as possible.
What to expect afterward
Temporary soreness at the treated spot, minor bleeding, or bruising are the common effects. Soreness usually settles within a day or two, and a bruise can take several days to fade. We’ll go over what to expect and answer your questions before we start. If anything concerns you after a visit, call us.
After needling near the upper back, the shoulder blade, or the chest wall
Needling in those areas carries a small risk of air escaping around the lung. If you get new shortness of breath, chest pain, or pain when you breathe in, in the hours or days after a session, go to an emergency department and tell them you had dry needling.
Tell us before we start if you take a blood thinner, have an implanted device such as a pacemaker or defibrillator, or are pregnant.
What it costs to start
$195Regular price $330
Self-pay only, one per patient.
Pain has a source. This visit looks for where it is coming from.
- A complete examination with Dr. Koser, which may include a live ultrasound look at the muscles and soft tissue where it hurts.
- Treatment the same visit unless the examination finds a reason it should not: a chiropractic adjustment, dry needling, cupping, laser, or electrical stimulation with infrared, chosen from what the examination finds and what is safe for you.
- Your findings explained the same day.
You’ll leave knowing what we found and what it means. First visit with us, one per patient.
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Self-pay patients only. Not valid with insurance, PIP/auto claims, Medicare, or Medicaid. Injured in a car accident? Book the Auto Accident Injury Visit instead.
THE PATIENT AND ANY OTHER PERSON RESPONSIBLE FOR PAYMENT HAS A RIGHT TO REFUSE TO PAY, CANCEL PAYMENT, OR BE REIMBURSED FOR PAYMENT FOR ANY OTHER SERVICE, EXAMINATION, OR TREATMENT THAT IS PERFORMED AS A RESULT OF AND WITHIN 72 HOURS OF RESPONDING TO THE ADVERTISEMENT FOR THE FREE, DISCOUNTED FEE, OR REDUCED FEE SERVICE, EXAMINATION, OR TREATMENT.
Every other bookable price is on our pricing page.
Trigger points
A trigger point is a tight, irritable knot in a muscle. Press on it and it hurts. Some hurt right where they sit. Others refer pain somewhere else: a muscle knot in the shoulder blade can send an ache down the arm, and one at the base of the skull can feel like a headache behind the eye. That referred pain is why muscle problems often get chased in the wrong spot.
Dry needling treats trigger points or myofascial pain directly, with a thin needle placed into the band of muscle we found on your exam. Not every ache is a trigger point. Part of the exam is telling the difference, and if what we find is not a muscle problem, we say so.
Common questions
Is ultrasound-guided dry needling available in Tampa?
In 2026, HealthSpine Chiropractic became the first practice in Tampa Bay to offer ultrasound-guided dry needling. Our office is in Carrollwood, at 10330 N. Dale Mabry Hwy, Suite 205, Tampa, FL 33618.
What is dry needling?
Thin needles placed into the muscle to treat trigger points and myofascial pain. There is no medication on the needle or in it.
What does ultrasound guidance add?
It lets us see the needle reach the exact spot we’re treating, and it lets you see it too, on the screen. We use it when an area is deeper or when we want to confirm visually as we treat. It is a technique for performing the procedure more precisely. It is not a different treatment, and seeing the needle does not change what the needling does compared with needling performed without it.
Is dry needling the same as acupuncture?
Different framework. Acupuncture is based on traditional Chinese medicine; dry needling targets specific muscles based on your examination. Dr. Koser is certified in acupuncture by the Florida Board of Chiropractic Medicine and in dry needling by the Florida Department of Health, so you get whichever approach fits your case.
Does dry needling hurt?
The needle is thin, and insertion is often barely felt. Hitting the trigger point is different: many people feel a brief, deep cramp or a quick muscle twitch, and that part is real. It passes in seconds, and soreness at the treated spot is common for a day or so afterward. If anything feels wrong during the visit, say so and we stop.
How much does dry needling cost in Tampa?
At HealthSpine: a Dry Needling Session is $80. New patients start with the Pain Source Exam at $195, an introductory price (regular price $330), one per patient, self-pay only. Our other prices are time-of-service rates, available when you pay in full at the visit. Care billed to a third-party payor, including auto insurance under Florida PIP, health insurance, Medicare, or workers' compensation, is billed on our standard fee schedule without either discount.
How many visits will I need?
That depends on your examination, and we will tell you what we expect in writing before you commit to a course of care. You should know early whether it is helping, because we re-measure as we go.
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This page is general health information and is not medical advice for any individual. Whether dry needling is appropriate for you depends on your examination. Talk to Dr. Bobby Koser, DC, about your own situation, and seek emergency care immediately for the warning signs described on this page.
Find the source. Treat it with precision.
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