Dry Needling vs Acupuncture: What’s the Difference?
Most people trying to compare a picture of someone receiving acupuncture with a picture of someone receiving dry needling would be hard-pressed to find any differences. At this level, it’s very difficult to figure out which one is which. They are both therapeutic modalities where a trained practitioner inserts very thin needles into the patient’s skin at certain points in order to relieve pain or treat other dysfunctions. That, however, is where the likeness comes to an end. One practice has been used as part of Traditional Chinese Medicine for thousands of years, whereas one of them has a more modern therapeutic origin in the early twentieth century. Both have specific health benefits depending on the conditions requiring treatment. So, what is the difference between dry needling and acupuncture? Let’s dive into the details of dry needling vs. acupuncture:
What is Dry Needling?
Dry needling treatment is specifically focused on conditions requiring muscular pain relief. Many tight, sore, overused, overworked, and injured muscular tissues develop tight knots or “adhesions”. These knots cause pain and can diminish your range of motion and lead to muscle spasms and referred pain that radiates out from that knot or adhesion.
During a dry needling session, Dr. Hennie will insert sterile, short, extremely thin, stainless steel “filiform” needles into the skin, either directly into the muscle knots or around the muscle knot at strategic points, to release the tightness. This is called “dry” needling because no fluid is injected into the body by these needles. Needles are inserted into or around these knots, also called “trigger points”. Skilled dry needling can help the tight knots to release their tension and relax. This can then relieve muscular pain. The needles are only in the knot for a short amount of time, at which point they are removed once the tension is released.
Although dry needling was inspired by ancient Chinese acupuncture, the purpose of dry needling is much more focused and restricted to a specific treatment area. Dry needling directly deals with trigger points within the muscle and fascia tissues and is not designed to treat far-ranging conditions in other parts of the body.
Dry needling was actually developed as far back as the 1940s. The practice and benefits of dry needling have been honed and refined over the decades. So, over the years, it has become a well-known muscular pain relief treatment often used in conjunction with chiropractic care.
The Benefits of Dry Needling
The main benefits of dry needling are muscular pain relief and improvement in range of motion. When applied as a complementary therapy with chiropractic care in our Homberg Chiropractic & Wellness office, it can help patients return to a much more active, pain-free lifestyle. Dr. Henni has pursued extensive training in dry needling in order to provide this additional treatment service, and it has helped many patients with conditions including:
Back pain
Neck pain
Shoulder pain
Elbow pain
TMJ (jaw pain and facial pain)
Knee pain
Foot pain (particularly plantar fasciitis)
Hand and wrist pain (carpal tunnel syndrome)
Does Dry Needling Hurt?
Most patients report feeling the gentle insertion of the needles, but this doesn’t cause them much (if any) pain. Most report a welcome release of tension at the trigger point site to which the needles are applied. A few patients have reported minor bruising at the insertion site, which usually resolves in a few days. Often, muscular pain relief comes quickly and provides a welcome return to an improved and comfortable range of motion.
What is Acupuncture?
Acupuncture, on the other hand, is an ancient treatment modality that has been part of the practice of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for thousands of years. While dry needling is laser-focused on the treatment of muscular pain and range of motion only, acupuncture is a holistic, systemic practice that seeks to open and balance the body’s flow of energy or “qi” (pronounced “chee”) in order to relieve a wide range of both mental and physical health concerns.
In TCM, blocked qi is responsible for a host of dysfunctions within the body. So, by restoring the free and balanced flow of qi through the skilled application of acupuncture needles at precise points, these dysfunctions can be remedied. As science has studied this ancient practice, they’ve discovered that acupuncture actually does stimulate real biochemical responses within the body to relieve pain. The ancient ideas of qi and balance may, in fact, be correlated with nervous system responses that we understand today. Furthermore, across Asia today, acupuncture is still considered standard medical practice in a wide variety of healing disciplines.
Like dry needling, acupuncturists insert sterile, extremely thin, stainless steel needles into the skin along specific points of the body. These points, however, correspond to “meridians” (energy channels) instead of the direct location of pain or injury. For example, one of the points to treat insomnia via acupuncture is located below your knee! There are several others in different areas of the body said to assist with a better night's sleep as well.
Typically, acupuncture needles are left in the body for a few minutes, but up to as long as 20 minutes sometimes, depending on the condition being treated. Patients usually feel the prick as the needle goes in, but then report relaxation, tingling, or pain relief as the needle remains in place. In most cases, a series of acupuncture treatments is necessary over time in order to resolve the condition in question, whereas dry needling is used to directly resolve a tight muscle knot at the site, and usually takes care of the problem during one session.
The Benefits of Acupuncture
As previously mentioned, acupuncture has a very long history of treating a wide variety of conditions. There is an increasing volume of scientific evidence that indicates its efficacy in treating many conditions including:
Back pain
Neck pain
Tension headaches
Migraines
PMS
Sports injuries
Muscle pain
TMJ
Immune system difficulties
IBS
Hot flashes and other discomforts associated with menopause
Pregnancy-related discomforts
Repetitive-use strains
Sports injuries
Anxiety and depression
Stress
Dry Needling vs Acupuncture: How to Choose?
When you are considering dry needling vs acupuncture, it’s important to understand your treatment goals. Dry needling can be an excellent complement to chiropractic care, physiotherapy, and corrective exercises under the care of a trained practitioner like Dr. Hennie. Dry needling is a highly-focused technique that performs one purpose: to relieve muscular pain due to tight, painful trigger points. Trigger points around the body can cause all kinds of dysfunction, so dry needling can be helpful for any condition that stems from (or is complicated by) those tight knots in the muscle and fascia tissue. Dry needles will be applied directly to, or right around those trigger points in order to release and relieve them, thereby relieving the pain they cause.
It is interesting to note that some of the same conditions treated by acupuncture can be treated by dry needling, it’s simply that the insertion points and goals of the two treatments go about it in different ways. Acupuncture can also be a good option for even non-musculoskeletal pain and dysfunction, however. As mentioned earlier, the insertion points for acupuncture needles will correspond with Traditional Chinese Medicine meridians instead of being right inside or next to the point of pain. Acupuncture may also take a series of sessions as the body adjusts and heals. So, the relief comes, but usually over time instead of right away, as in dry needling.
Therefore, if you are experiencing muscle pain or injury, it is a good idea to try dry needling with us here at Homberg Chiropractic and Wellness. Acupuncture may be a great option to try for systemic, non-muscular ailments.
Dry Needling at Homberg Chiropractic & Wellness
Dr. Hennie is always looking for more ways to help his patients heal and live their best, healthiest, most active lives. Dry needling is just one of our many treatment modalities at Homberg Chiropractic & Wellness. Dr. Hennie believes in treating the whole patient, using highly-skilled chiropractic adjustments to realign the nervous system to empower the body to heal itself. Along with nutrition, exercise, and other physiotherapy options, we can help you experience holistic healing and recovery from a wide range of injuries and conditions.
To find out if you are a good candidate for dry needling, or to ask about any of our other treatment options, schedule an appointment today! You can also call and talk with us personally at 865.413.8628. We look forward to working with you and helping you achieve your optimum health goals!