Dry needling vs acupuncture
What is dry needling?
Dry needling is a technique to treat musculoskeletal pain and dysfunction. It involves using an acupuncture needle inserted into trigger points (tender spots) or tight bands of muscles, tendons or fascia to promote relaxation in the affected muscles and release tension. Moreover, the needles that are used for this treatment are often thicker as it is aimed at musculoskeletal issues. Each licensing governing body will have different requirements depending on the location where dry needling is getting performed; however, most dry needling courses only last 1-3 days, and thereafter, the practitioner can administer needling into the body.
What is acupuncture?
An acupuncture treatment involves inserting acupuncture needles into specific points on the body. The goal is to stimulate these points to correct imbalances in the body's energy flow or "qi," which is believed to promote overall health and well-being. Unlike dry needling, acupuncture does not only treat musculoskeletal problems. Research has shown that it can be effective in treating a wide range of conditions, such as migraines, anxiety, digestive issues, and stress reduction.
Acupuncture works by influencing the body's meridians—pathways through which qi flows. By stimulating these meridians, acupuncture can help regulate hormones, improve circulation, and enhance the body's natural healing abilities. It typically takes an acupuncturist over three years in a degree-level course to become fully qualified, ensuring they have the necessary knowledge and skills to provide effective treatment.
So what is the difference?
Although they both work with acupuncture needles, how a qualified Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) acupuncturist treats a condition and how a practitioner administers a dry needling treatment without a TCM approach will be vastly different. A TCM practitioner is likely to work with the entire system to address the root of the problem. In conjunction with working with the injury with ‘Ah Sha points’ (also known as trigger points in Western Medicine), they may have to work on non-musculoskeletal components if appropriate to that patient's specific case. For example, if the injury occurred when the patient was stressed or undergoing a difficult emotional period, this may have strongly influenced the injury. Therefore, treating the emotional pain could clear the injury. This is a perfect example of how TCM considers a patient’s body, mind and soul when planning treatments. Furthermore
However, the likelihood of a practitioner who is trained in dry-needling is that they may have a wider knowledge of physical therapy addressing musculoskeletal issues with needles but also may obtain other modes of therapy such as chiropractor techniques. Of course, this is not of course entirely true as some acupuncturists are qualified in other fields.
Conclusion
Both treatment modalities use acupuncture needles and may help relieve muscle aches, pains and tightness. Qualified TCM practitioners and practitioners who administer dry needling may both use Ah Sha/Trigger points within their treatment for musculoskeletal issues. Make sure you do extensive research on the practitioner to see what qualifications they obtain before booking in for a treatment to ensure that they can meet your recovery needs.
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