Dry needling is a technique employed by trained Physiotherapists and is similar to acupuncture in that a needle is inserted into the skin to alleviate pain.
The primary difference between acupuncture and dry needling is that acupuncture treats for the purpose of altering the flow of Qi (or energy) along traditional Chinese meridians while dry needling follows evidence-based guidelines, targeting specific point locations with the view of addressing neuromuscular conditions, relieving pain, and/or improving range of motion.
Evidence to date supports that dry needling improves pain control, reduces muscle tension and normalises dysfunctions of the motor endplates (the sites at which nerve impulses are transmitted to muscles). This can help speed up the patient’s return to active rehabilitation.