DRY NEEDLING FAQ

Why should an acupuncturist perform dry needling?

This is an important question.

An acupuncturist's primary clinical tool is the needle. Acupuncturists spend years learning how to insert, manipulate, angle, stimulate, and remove needles safely throughout the body.

My training included thousands of hours of acupuncture education and supervised clinical training, including extensive study of anatomy, physiology, pathology, acupuncture point location, needling technique, Traditional Chinese Medicine diagnosis, and hands-on treatment.

Needle technique is not an add-on to my profession. It is the foundation of my profession.

That matters because needling a muscle is not simply a matter of knowing where the muscle is located. A skilled practitioner needs to understand the surrounding anatomy, tissue depth, nerves, blood vessels, fascia, joints, contraindications, patient constitution, and how the nervous system may respond to stimulation.

Isn't dry needling just putting a needle into a tight muscle?

Depending on the problem, I may needle:

  • Trigger points

  • Motor points

  • Muscle bellies

  • Muscle insertions

  • Tendons and areas around joints

  • Myofascial restrictions

  • Acupuncture points

  • Distal points away from the painful area

  • Nerve-related structures when clinically appropriate

I may also combine needling with electrical stimulation, manual therapy, gua sha, cupping, or traditional acupuncture.

Does dry needling hurt?

It can be a dull ache, a strong ache, a heavy sensation: but it does not have to be painful.

Some trigger-point approaches intentionally produce a local twitch response, which some patients experience as a brief ache, cramp, or sharp sensation. However, needle sensitivity varies significantly from person to person.

One advantage of working with an acupuncturist is having a practitioner who is highly experienced in needle technique and patient response. I can modify needle depth, angle, stimulation, location, and technique depending on the patient's sensitivity and nervous system response.

For patients who are particularly needle-sensitive, I can also use acupuncture points and techniques intended to help calm the nervous system and make treatment more comfortable.

Do acupuncturists only treat according to Traditional Chinese Medicine?

No.

Acupuncture training includes both traditional diagnostic frameworks and extensive biomedical education.

Why does acupuncture training matter for dry needling?

Because there is much more to needling than knowing where to put a needle.

Acupuncturists develop needle skills through repeated hands-on practice over years of education and clinical training. We learn how tissue feels as a needle enters it, how different tissues respond to stimulation, how to adjust technique when a patient is uncomfortable, and how to recognize when needling is or is not appropriate.

Is dry needling new?

The name is relatively modern. The idea of using needles to influence pain and the body is not.

The historical development of modern dry needling can be traced through 20th-century Western research into referred pain, muscle pain, trigger points, and injection therapy. Interestingly, research published as early as the 1940s documented significant pain relief from inserting a needle into painful areas without injecting medication.

So dry needling isn't simply a brand-new invention. It represents one modern development in the much larger history of therapeutic needling. Some would say it’s acupuncture, rebranded and with way less clinical education when performed by non-acupuncturists.

What is the difference between dry needling and traditional acupuncture in your practice?

I use both.

Traditional acupuncture may involve treating points locally or at a distance based on the individual's diagnosis and pattern. Dry needling allows me to work more specifically with muscular and myofascial structures using modern anatomical and neuromuscular concepts.

For example, someone with shoulder pain might benefit from a combination of local motor point or trigger point needling, acupuncture points away from the shoulder, electrical stimulation, and treatment directed at an underlying pattern contributing to the problem.

Rather than choosing between “acupuncture” and “dry needling,” I can use the most appropriate technique for the individual patient.