Game Changer Physical Therapy

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Dry needling vs acupuncture: What you need to know

You may be wondering what the difference is between dry needling and acupuncture.

At Game Changer PT, I utilize dry needling as a part of physical therapy treatment sessions for patients, especially sports injuries and for sports recovery.

Dry needling is not essential. However, it can be part of a patient's care plan. This depends on their specific situation and diagnosis.

The difference between dry needling and acupuncture

Dry needling is a technique from Western medicine. It helps treat muscle pain. This is done by inserting needles into specific areas. The goal is to promote healing and relieve discomfort.

Dry needling focuses on relieving muscle pain, addressing myofascial trigger points, increasing blood flow, and directly affecting the central nervous system, which can be a critical component during care and recovery.

Physical therapists who use dry needling are not trained in acupuncture or traditional Chinese medicine. They only have this training if they have a separate acupuncture license.

Acupuncture is an Eastern medicine practice that promotes healing by improving energy flow in the body. Needles are typically inserted into certain points along energy meridians in the body, which is different than dry needling where it targets a specific tissue (ex. Upper traps muscle or quadriceps). Basically, it comes down to a different intention with treatment and a different target tissue. 

There are a few similarities between acupuncture and dry needling.

Both may use the same type of needles (thin, sterile, and single use) for treatment, these needles do puncture the skin during the treatment session, and both may be used to treat pain in different ways. But that’s about the extent of the similarities.

Acupuncture is further defined in RCW 18.06.010 as "'Acupuncture and Eastern medicine' means a health care service utilizing acupuncture or Eastern medicine diagnosis and treatment to promote health and treat organic or functional disorders, which includes a variety of traditional and modern acupuncture and Eastern medicine therapeutic treatments, such as the practice of acupuncture techniques and herbal medicine to maintain and promote wellness, prevent, manage, and reduce pain, and treat substance use disorder."

If you see an acupuncturist or eastern medicine provider, I will try to coordinate with them. This is to prevent any conflicts or repeated treatments. However, I will only do this with your permission.

How to book a dry needling session

If you’re local to the Tri-Cities, WA area, contact Game Changer Physical Therapy located in Kennewick, WA.

I’m Kacie Shively, PT, DPT, Cert. DN, a physical therapist for athletes who is Certified in Dry Needling and endorsed in the State of Washington. As a result, I use dry needling to help athletes recover quickly from injuries.

How to learn more about dry needling

Check out my complete guide to dry needling to learn more.