Acupuncture is a form of penetrating the skin with solid, thin, metallic needles that are activated through specific and gentle movements of the hand of practitioners or with electrical stimulation. Acupuncture is a part of Traditional Chinese medicine, an ancient practice. While dry needling is a modern therapy designed to ease stress and muscular pain, its popularity is continually growing.
Dry needling is a pseudoscientific technique used by several healthcare practitioners, it includes the following:
- Physical therapists
- Physicians
- Chiropractors
Acupuncture and dry needling used needles. When looking for a quality brand of acupuncture needles and dry needling supplies, it is available in Korea.
Acupuncture versus dry needling: The benefits!
When comparing dry needling and acupuncture with an image, you might be stumped on identifying each. Dry needling and acupuncture use thin needles. Both practices used needles inserted into the skin and both claims for treating pain. It is what and where the similarities ended.
The unique qualities of both practices help differentiate the two. Acupuncture was a practice way back thousand years as an alternative treatment with solid research of effectiveness. While dry needling was just adopted in the last few decades. Acupuncture relieves discomfort, pain, and other issues by opening up the energy flow or chi of a person. While dry needling is designed for stimulating the trigger points or irritable muscles.
Dry needling
During the treatment, the practitioner inserts various filiform needles into the skin. These filiform needles are short, stainless steel, and fine needles that don’t inject fluid into the body. It is why the treatment is called “dry” needling. The practitioners will be putting needles in the trigger points in the tissue or muscle. The points are areas of hard or knotted muscles.
Dry needling helps relieve any spasms or muscle pain and release the knot. The needles will stay in the skin for a short time. The practitioner decides the length of time when the needles are removed. Dry needling training is a requirement when performing the job. Dry needling uses two different techniques, namely:
- In-and-out techniques
- Non-trigger point techniques
Dry needling is mostly performed by sports injuries and physical therapists.
Acupuncture
It is a method of medical treatment that originated in Asian medical practices. A lot of licensure and oversight boards are using the term oriental medicine for this treatment. The expert acupuncturists are trained for 3-4 years. The training includes two methods:
- Instruction of using the needles
- Instruction in diagnosing the conditions
Acupuncturists have to undergo testing to take instructional courses every year to maintain the license. Chi provides the body with healing energy. It seeks to remove blockages and returns the energy flow. Acupuncture treats different health conditions:
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Pain
- Allergies
- Menstrual cramps
- Headache and more
Acupuncture and dry needling; both safe treatments for anyone who needs it.
