It’s easy to get dry needling and acupuncture confused. Both of these are natural therapies that use thin, essentially painless, stainless steel needles. In both therapeutic practices, these thin needles are inserted through the skin toward target tissues for the purpose of relieving pain and tension.
However, that’s where their similarities end. They both have benefits, but which one is right for you? Keep reading to find out:
WHAT IS ACUPUNCTURE?
Acupuncture is a form of medical treatment that’s been used for thousands of years, and originated in Asian medicine. Expert modern acupuncturists train for 3-4 years. Traditional acupuncturists trained for much longer. Some insurances cover the cost of acupuncture treatment, but many still don’t.
The main focus of acupuncture is manipulating energy, or chi, to resolve illness, release pain, and more. The fundamental belief behind acupuncture is that blocked chi can contribute to conditions and symptoms like pain, nausea, vomiting, headache, allergies, anxiety, and more.
A 2012 study found that acupuncture was effective in relieving migraine headaches – just as effective as other treatments, including medication.
Acupuncture has countless articles supporting its use for a variety of issues. The data clearly favors acupuncture for the management of chronic pain in a non-addictive and safe manner.
WHAT IS DRY NEEDLING?
Dry needling is a treatment centered on relieving muscular pain specifically.
During a dry needling procedure, practitioners (who are physical therapists that have undergone additional training beyond standard physical therapy education to be certified ) insert thin needles through the skin. These needles are placed in “trigger points” in muscle or tissue.
These are areas of knotted muscle tissue. There are a variety of potential targets from scar tissue, to trigger points, to areas of fascial tension. Many movement impairments are due to stiff fascial tissue or muscle imbalances; dry needling can manage these effectively. This is particularly helpful for neck or back pains.
Dry needling helps to release the knot and relieve any associated muscle pain or spasms. This also helps improve range of motion by releasing tense myofascial tissues. It’s often used to treat sports injuries, muscle pain, and even fibromyalgia pain.
The technique not only forces a hyper-contractile muscle unit to relax, but the needle tip will stimulate the body’s own healing cascade as well.
Dry Needling At Warner Orthopedics & Wellness
Both of these therapies may be beneficial for you in different ways, or one may be more suitable than the other. If you’re curious to see how acupuncture or dry needling can help you, click below to schedule your consultation appointment:
