Skip to Main Content

Dry Needling vs Acupuncture

by Michelle Sauberzweig

Dry needling is becoming more mainstream as a form of pain relief treatment and you will undoubtedly hear more about this modality. It has been around for years but has increased in popularity because its clinical success.

Dry needling bases itself on the neurophysiologically modern understanding of pain as it surrounds hyperactive trigger points in a specific area. According to the Wikipedia, dry needling is defined as the use of a solid filiform needle. Acupuncture is also defined as the use of a solid filiform needle. Dry needling performed by a medical provider for the treatment of myofascial trigger points and is considered the same as an Acupuncturists needling ‘a-shi’ points (aka trigger points) during your acupuncture treatment. To clarify, dry needling is a form of acupuncture; however, there are a few differences between the terms dry needling and acupuncture.

                                                               DRY NEEDLING                  ACUPUNCTURE
Provides Pain Relief                                         X                                          X
Painful Treatments                                          X
Diagnose and Treat Disorders/Illness                                                      X
Creates Emotional Balance                                                                        X
Strengthens Immune System                                                                    X
Improves Respiratory Health                                                                    X
Eliminates Allergies                                                                                     X
Enhances Digestion                                                                                     X
Increases circulation                                                                                   X
Reduces Stress                                                                                             X
Balances Hormones                                                                                    X
Relieves Insomnia                                                                                        X
Used to Recover Quickly from Surgery/Illness                                        X
Combats Radiation/Chemo Side Effects                                                   X
Improves Quality of Life/Health                                                                 X
Practiced for how long                                   33 Years                        3000 Years
Training/Schooling for Practitioners             46 Hours                       2850 Hours

At Living Well Acupuncture, our licensed Acupuncturist, Michelle Sauberzweig, has received 2880 hours of training, obtained her Masters Degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine and is able to successfully perform traditional acupuncture treatments and ‘dry needling’ treatments in our office. Since there are many different ways to administer and stimulate acupuncture needles, your practitioner can decide which method is best for you. If you have any questions regarding dry needling or to schedule an appointment please feel free to call us at (740) 206-8705.