Dry Needling

What is Dry Needling?

Dry needling is a type of acupuncture. It is a modern treatment designed to ease muscular pain.

During dry needling, a practitioner inserts acupuncture needles into trigger points. Acupuncture or filiform needles are fine, short, stainless steel needles that don’t inject fluid into the body. That’s why the term “dry” is used. Practitioners place the needles in “trigger points” in your muscle or tissue. Dry needling is also sometimes called intramuscular stimulation. The points are areas of knotted or hard muscle and the needle helps release the knot and relieve any muscle pain or spasms.

Education

Most physical therapists and chiropractors that offer dry needling take weekend courses that are 23-40 hours of training.  Where most acupuncturists that offer pain treatment have 2,200-3,000 hours of training, with continued training required as well to maintain our license.

Because there’s no credentialing board, no formal training, certifications, or state licensure, there’s also no way to determine if someone’s training is legitimate and satisfactory. If you choose dry needling, find someone with postgraduate healthcare education, such as an acupuncture, Chinese medicine practitioner. 

Acupuncture currently has more definitive research and practitioners are regulated in training and practice. If you prefer a well-established alternative treatment option from a highly-trained therapist, acupuncture may be more beneficial for you.