Hi!

Sorry, no book reference, just stuff learnt on a course.

But the principle is simple. THink of the needle as an extension of your hands. You can feel lots of things through the end of the needle.

What i feel for first is a good spot to put the needle in. Now you may want to use meridian charts or trigger point charts. I don't care. What I do is feel for "empty points" which kinda feel like "holes" in the tissue. Then there are the obvious "knots" that we all know so well.

For the piriformis musles, i palpate along it's length and find spots that I think would be good to "release" - just like a manual release as described by Mr Physio above. I then stick a needle in until i feel i hit the fascia of the muscle without "piercing" through it. Then i leave it (if i need to see other people) or "bounce" on the fascia (if i have the time).

The result is a much less tender muscle which has hopefully released somewhat. I would also use visualisation to relax the muscles as described above, etc.

If the needling doesn't work, try again but choose your points more carefully!

Hope it helps!