The key difference between dry needling and acupuncture is that dry needling is based on neurophysiological principles and human anatomy, whereas acupuncture is based on traditional Chinese medicine.
Both dry needling and acupuncture use fine filament needles that are gently inserted into strategic places in the body. They pierce the tissues in the body and cure ailments. They also do not inject any kind of fluid into your body.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Dry Needling
3. What is Acupuncture
4. Dry Needling vs Acupuncture in Tabular Form
5. Summary – Dry Needling vs Acupuncture
What is Dry Needling?
Dry needling is a method of inserting very fine filament sterile needles into tissues to stimulate a healing effect. This method has been developed by western medicine practitioners based on contemporary concepts. It is used to treat muscular pain, and needles are inserted into defined points in the affected muscle. It can treat most of your ailments without using any drugs or medication.
The common dry needling method takes about 10-30 minutes, but there are various other types of dry needling methods that take different durations and points of insertion. The in-and-out technique (pistoning) involves inserting needles directly into the trigger point and removing them right away. There is also the non-trigger point technique, which treats the central nervous system by inserting needles around places where the pain arises.
The insertion of the needle creates a minor tissue puncture injury, which creates inflammation in that place and stimulates the flow of blood into that place. This increases the oxygen supply, inducing healing. This method is used to heal headaches, neck and back pains, muscle strains, muscle spasms, hip and knee pain, elbow pain, and sciatica. Moreover, dry needling requires an experienced and licensed person to avoid side effects like bleeding, fainting, increase in pain, skin reactions, and bloodborne diseases.
What is Acupuncture?
Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese technique used to relieve pain by stimulating specific points in the body. In this treatment, very thin sterile needles are inserted into several acupoints in the patient’s body. This method is used to treat the pain of several ailments like back pain, neck pain, muscle pain, knee pain, arthritis, immune system problems, chemotherapy, headaches, dental pain, menopause, pregnancy discomfort, menstrual cramps, and infertility.
This method uses the technique of directing the flow of qi or energy through the body. Chinese medical practitioners believe disruption in the flow of qi imbalances the body’s energy and lead to illnesses. Therefore, they rebalance the flow of qi using needles in acupoints in the body.
Very thin, single-use disposable needles are used in this process, and they are kept in the body for 10-15 minutes. About 5-20 needles are used in this process. By using these types of needles, you can minimize infections. However, there may be minor side effects like bleeding and bruises in the places where the needles were inserted. Other than that, if you are pregnant, suffering from bleeding disorders, or have a pacemaker, you must inform the practitioner about your condition.
What is the Difference Between Dry Needling and Acupuncture?
The key difference between dry needling and acupuncture is dry needling is based on neurophysiological principles and human anatomy, while acupuncture is based on traditional Chinese medicine. Moreover, dry needling mainly focuses on muscle ailments, while acupuncture focuses on internal ailments.
The following table summarizes the difference between dry needling and acupuncture.
Summary – Dry Needling vs Acupuncture
Dry needling is a method used where very fine filament sterile needles are inserted into tissues to stimulate a healing effect. It is based on modern western medicine and human anatomy. Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese technique used to relieve pain by stimulating specific points in the body, and it is centered on traditional Chinese medicine. Unlike in dry needling, where the needles are inserted and removed right away, in acupuncture, the needles are placed in strategic places in the body for some minutes. So, this is the summary of the difference between dry needling and acupuncture.
Reference:
1. “On pins and needles: Just what is dry needling?” Mayo Clinic – Health System.
2. “Acupuncture.” Mayo Clinic.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Therapist pricking skin with needles during treatment procedure” by Ryutaro Tsukata (CC0) via Pexels