Dry Needling vs Acupuncture
The practitioners at Life Point Acupuncture in Newport Beach specialize in orthopedics and sports medicine. Over the past several months, people have been asking us more questions about dry needling: What is dry needling good for? How does it work? Will dry needling work for me?
Some of our patients have already experienced the benefits of dry needling for pain management, muscle tension, and to generally speed up the body’s ability to heal. In this blog, we wanted to take the time to answer some common questions and make some recommendations to those in and outside of the Orange County area on finding the right practitioner for dry needling. Hopefully, this will help people make an informed decision on whether or not dry needling is right for you.
What is Dry Needling?
Dry needling is a modern technique that is always performed in the patient's specific limb or area of pain. During dry needling treatment, a practitioner will insert a fine, short, solid needle (the same you would experience in acupuncture treatment) into the body that does not inject fluid into the body. This is why the practice is referred to as dry needling. The goal of this procedure is always to release muscular motor points and alleviate chronic or acute tension in the muscle. Muscle motor points have been mapped out all over the human body and can be defined as points in which the patient and practitioner most commonly find what you may call a knot. These points are common where connective tissue meets nerves and muscle. The needle has the effect of releasing the knot, eliminating pain and taking pressure off of surrounding muscle, connective and nervous tissue.
Dry Needling vs. Acupuncture
Acupuncture is one modality that is part of a system of medicine called Traditional Chinese Medicine. Acupuncturists complete 3-4 years of training that includes 1,000 supervised clinical hours on and off campus.
Acupuncturists can specialize in treating athletes and orthopedic injuries. They take extra courses and/or certifications to include specific motor points for every muscle in the human body. The owner of Life Point worked on site at UCSD practicing orthopedic specific acupuncture on the student athletes while completing her advanced orthopedic classes.
Acupuncture will most likely involve a more in depth health history when compared to a dry needling treatment. Your practitioner will gather information on sleep patterns, digestive issues, and other injuries that may relate to the patient's current injury. Your diagnosis will not only include your labs and images from your medical doctor, but also your full health history, prescription list, lifestyle, and dietary choices.
““Traditional Chinese Medicine is a complete system of medicine and many medical conditions can be treated with it. That doesn’t mean that TCM is the best treatment for all medical conditions. If I have cancer, take it out of me. If I have an infection, please give me antibiotics. TCM is great for treating acute and chronic pain, gynecological problems, infertility, morning sickness, adverse reactions to chemotherapy/radiation, allergies, digestive issues, insomnia, stress, anxiety, neuropathy, and many other conditions.””
Acupuncture is safe when performed correctly, with few side effects. It can be safely integrated with the medical interventions that you currently use.
The practitioners at Life Point will use other services within their scope of practice: cupping (stationary and manual), electro-stimulation, moxibustion, acupressure, massage, and breathing techniques. They may also offer exercise and nutrition counseling or recommend Chinese herbal supplements.
Dry needling is typically performed by someone other than a licensed acupuncturist in a state in which that is allowed. For example, your physical therapist can perform dry needling in addition to manual therapies provided at your session. If you are getting poked in California, New York, Oregon, or Seattle only licensed acupuncturists can perform dry needling.
There are currently no regulatory agencies that control the training, licensing and supervision of dry needling. Dry needling practitioners do not need extensive training. One of the largest licensing providers requires applicants to hold a PT, ATC, DC, MD, DO, NP, PA, or OT license to take their 54 hour course.
California acupuncturists are regulated by a regulatory body of the Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) called the California Acupuncture Board. You can verify an acupuncturist's license on their website. Acupuncturists must complete an approved Masters program (typically 3500 hours) before sitting for the board exam. Due to their in depth knowledge of both Traditional Chinese Medicine and Human Anatomy, acupuncturists can additionally treat underlying issues and use distal points to alleviate pain in the affected area.
Ask a Health Care Provider for Dry Needling Referral
If you are interested in finding dry needling in your area, it is best to ask your a health care providers for a referral to an acupuncturist that specialize in dry needling, orthopedics, and sports medicine. Your doctor, physical therapist, chiropractor, or naturopath will have good options for you. And of course, you can consult Google reviews, Yelp, and other sources to confirm that an acupuncturist is right for you.
For those who live in the Orange County area, the licensed practitioners at Life Point Acupuncture have experience dry needling for a wide variety of injuries and ailments. Click the box below to set up an appointment.