Dry needling is NOT acupuncture! First of all, the technical name for dry needling is myofascial trigger point dry needling. It is used in physical therapy to reduce chronic muscle pain by placing a small needle into a trigger point in the muscle in order to cause a local twitch response, also known as a muscle contraction. In medical terms, it is a “mechanical disruption of the integrity of dysfunctional endplates, alterations in the length and tension of muscle fibers and stimulation of mechanoreceptors, increased muscle blood flow and oxygenation, and endogenous opioid release affecting peripheral and central sensitization, among others.”1

In contrast, acupuncture is by definition “a system of complementary medicine that involves pricking the skin or tissues with needles, used to alleviate pain and to treat various physical, mental, and emotional conditions.”2

The physical therapists who perform the dry needling procedure are medically trained and licensed professionals that are required to have four years of undergraduate course work in a medical field, such as biology, exercise physiology, or kinesiology. They are then required to attend a further three years of graduate school, and then graduate with a clinical doctor’s degree (DPT). Then they must pass a state board examination to be able to practice. Only after two years of real-world practice can a therapist then opt to go through the extensive training courses required for the practice of dry needling, as well as passing a practical and written exam upon the completion of the course.

In order to become a trained acupuncturist, a person “must first complete at least two years of study at the baccalaureate level…Acupuncture programs often welcome students from all educational backgrounds, so if you have not yet studied any form of medicine, you can still pursue this path.”3

So to recap, dry needling is not acupuncture. Dry needling is procedure that is administered by a highly trained medical professional that has spent multiple years both in school and in field practice before being able to perform it. There is significant evidence that has time and again proved the efficacy and benefit of dry needling. Acupuncture and dry needling are performed for complete different reasons and should not be categorized together.

1. https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/dry-needling/
2. https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=acupuncture+definition&*
3. http://www.howtobecome.com/how-to-become-an-acupuncturist