Introduction: Dry needling has been reported to decrease pain in subjects having myofascial trigger points, as well as pain in muscle and connective tissue. Objective: The purpose of the study was to compare the effects on the ability to perform a two-legged verti- cal jump between a group who received one bout of dry needling and a group who received one bout of a sham treatment. Methods: Thirty-five healthy students (19 males, 16 females) were recruited to participate in this study (mean age 22.7+/- 2.4 years). The subjects were randomly divided into two groups- dry needling (n=18) vs sham (n=17). The dry needling group received needling to four sites on bilateral gastrocnemius mus- cles; two at the medial head and two at the lateral head. The sham group had the four areas of the gastroc- nemius muscle pressed with the tube housing the needle, but the needle was never inserted into the skin. Two-legged vertical jump was measured with chalk marks on the wall before and after the dry needling and sham treatments. Results: Analysis with a t-test indicated that the dry needling group significantly increased vertical jump height 1.2 inches over the sham group. Conclusion: One bout of dry needling showed an immediate effect at significantly increasing vertical jump height in healthy, young adults.