ACUPUNCTURE OR DRY NEEDLING....IS THERE A DIFFERENCE?

 Written by Uche

DISCLAIMER

 This post is purely informational. Please contact your closest health professional for qualified advice.

Got acupuncture or got dry needling?

Did you get two different treatments or did you get the same management under different names?

Acupuncture

Acupuncture is an age old (oriental) medical practice which uses ‘chi’ to heal the body. ‘Chi’ in simpler terms can also be called ‘energy flow’. When our body’s energy flow is blocked in certain areas, we feel pain or discomfort; therefore, acupuncture unblocks the flow and gives relief.

This pain-free method can be used to treat the following apart from pain:

§   Headache
§  Nausea
§  Vomiting
§  Addiction
§  Chemical dependency
§  Menstrual cramps
§  Allergies
§  Labor pains
§  Depression

Dry Needling (or Intramuscular Stimulation)

On the other hand, dry needling uses muscle stimulation to release painful, knotted tissues in the body. It may be painful for some and the needle can be placed either on the trigger points or around them. Depending on your provider, the needle should be in your skin for a short time.

A good provider should care about sterility and dispose (safely) used needles and not repeat them. Safe disposal is important for the provider, the client and anyone who comes in contact with the needles (e.g. cleaning staff).

Dry needling is beneficial in reducing pain and stiffness, increasing flexibility and range of motion in:

§  Sports injuries

§  Muscle pain

This comparably new treatment method has been confused and mistakenly interchanged with acupuncture.

So let us fix that.  

Similarities

Both acupuncture and dry needling use firm filiform needles or very thin needles. No substance is inserted into the body; it is just a dry needle in both cases. They are both used to treat pain. Some examples include: Lowback pain, knee pain and neck pain.

Bruising, pain and a little bleeding on injected areas are the side effects you can expect in both treatment methods.

Difference

Though they both treat pain, acupuncture and dry needle disagree in the ‘why’ it is done and the ‘how’ it is done. Acupuncture uses certain learned points on the body to allow a complete flow of healing energy, meanwhile, dry needling focuses on loosening trigger points to provide reprieve.  

 

Articles have come out over the years to explain the difference and the effectiveness that both treatment methods provide for different ailments.

In Low Back Pain

In some research articles, both managements have been said to provide similar results and especially when compared to sham needling. Some question if the effect of dry needling is not akin to stretching the affected area.

In other articles, it is said that dry needling alleviates mild to moderate pain and disability better in post-intervention low back pain(Hu et al., 2018).

Conclusion

Choosing between the two comes down to a matter of preference in the following areas:

Training – in other to practice acupuncture, it can take up to four years of training as it needs licensing and accreditation for one to practice it. However, dry needling practice is allowed with only a week of training; almost a ‘watch and learn’ teaching.

Trust – the providers of either management should be trustworthy to the clients. Acupuncturists provide acupuncture but dry needling can be provided (sadly) by anyone because of the minimal training needed. Some trustworthy providers (according to me) of dry needling are your physiotherapists and sports injury therapists.

Open-mindedness – this depends on if you prefer the practice that has been here for years or you are open to trying new methods of treatments. 

Here is a table summarizing this article:

Acupuncture		Dry Needling
·       Energy flow theory ·       Painless ·       Needs training, accreditation… ·       Has thousands of years of practice	Common ground	·       Muscle stimulation ·       Can be painful ·       Minimal training needed ·       Is a couple of decades old
	Ø Uses very thin needles Ø Treat pain Ø Share similar (yet hardly serious) side effects

Have you had any experience with either or both treatment methods? Let me know in the comment section below.

Cheers XOXO

Photos by:

Unsplash

Bibliography:

Hu, H.-T., Gao, H., Ma, R.-J., Zhao, X.-F., Tian, H.-F., & Li, L. (2018). Is dry needling effective for low back pain? Medicine, 97(26), e11225. https://doi.org/10.1097/MD.0000000000011225

Fan, A. Y., Xu, J., & Li, Y. (2017). Evidence and expert opinions: Dry needling versus acupuncture (II). Chinese Journal of Integrative Medicine, 23(2), 83–90. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11655-017-2800-6