Why You Should Avoid Dry Needling

I’ve struggled to write about dry needling since it became a trending “wellness” topic over the past couple of years. How do you write about something that appears so similar to acupuncture when it’s a whole different beast? I’m going to do my best to explain the differences—and some big reasons for concern. 

But first, what is dry needling? It’s similar to acupuncture in that it uses needles to address pain points in the body. But that’s where the similarities end. Let’s take a look at four important differences. 

HOW IT WORKS
Acupuncture: In Traditional Chinese Medicine, acupuncture manipulates your Qi, or the energy that flows through your body. Think of it as flowing water. We use hundreds of acupuncture points along meridians, understanding how your whole body is connected and focusing on both immediate relief and addressing long-term underlying causes. 

Dry needling uses needles similar to acupuncture, but stimulates your injury directly at the site of pain, usually targeting muscles. Which shouldn’t be confused with acupuncture points! They’re very different things. Dry needling gets its name from its lack of focus on Qi—that “flowing water” we talked about above. (It also can refer to the needles used because they don’t inject fluid like a syringe. But neither do acupuncture needles, so for our purposes, Qi is the primary difference between acupuncture and dry needling.)

TRAINING
Acupuncture: Your acupuncturist has years of medical training specific to acupuncture. For me, that meant roughly three years of specialized courses that focused on anatomy, physiology, psychology, nutrition, Traditional Chinese Medicine theory, Qi Gong and much more. Locating points and learning what each is used for starts in the first semester and culminates in learning point prescriptions (how to use combinations of points to accomplish goals) and complex needling techniques. Most people are surprised to learn that acupuncture is actually one of the most intensive master’s degrees, in most cases requiring as many hours as a doctorate! So when we enter the profession, we’re prepared with years of hands-on, intensive training.

Dry needling: Physical therapists who perform dry needling are required to have 52 hours of training in the technique. That’s not much! Just like your acupuncturist may be trained in some exercises to help pain, your physical therapist may be trained in some parts of acupuncture. But the bigger problem is when dry needling is performed by someone other than a physical therapist, who may have even less (or no) training. Chiropractors and athletic trainers also sometimes use the treatment. But dry needling isn’t regulated the way acupuncture and most medical techniques are, so you need to be extra vigilant about who’s offering this service.

HISTORY
Acupuncture: Acupuncture has been practiced for more than 2,500 years! In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the focus is on our Qi—our energy—which balances our body and is the primary source of all living things. TCM believes Qi flows along meridian points or paths in our bodies, and those points are what your acupuncturist focuses on to relieve symptoms or pain. 

Dry needling: Dry needling is several decades old, but it didn’t gain popularity in the US until acupuncture became more common practice and pieces of the technique were picked up for use in dry needling. So in that way, dry needling borrows some very basic parts acupuncture, but it also leaves out acupuncture’s most important theories, lessons and teachings that have been tested and built on for thousands of years.

WHAT IT DOES
Acupuncture: Acupuncture goes far beyond pain relief. In fact, some of its most beneficial uses are for general wellness, symptom prevention, and concerns that don’t involve physical pain, such as trouble with digestion, nausea, infertility, insomnia, anxiety and depression, allergies and so much more. The World Health Organization lists dozens of common conditions proven to respond to TCM acupuncture. 

Dry needling: Dry needling focuses primarily on pain relief, stimulating parts of the body that are physically connected to your injury. Think of it like rubbing a sore muscle. You’ll usually be able to make your injury feel better for a little while, but it will likely come back and need to be re-treated until you address the underlying causes. 

A WORD OF CAUTION
If you take anything away from the differences between acupuncture and dry needling, it’s this: Dry needling is prohibited in 20 states. Unlike acupuncture—where we’re held to the same standards as many doctors—there just isn’t enough training or regulation in dry needling to guarantee your safety, and those who offer dry needling aren’t licensed or supervised in the practice. 

At the end of the day, acupuncture offers the same benefits dry needling touts—plus many more—and in a safer, better trained and more regulated environment. Physical therapy, chiropractics, sports therapy and muscle stimulation are vital parts of our medical community! But just like you wouldn’t want your acupuncturist to crack your back, you probably don’t want your chiropractor placing acupuncture needles in your sore muscles.

In health and wellness,
Julie