Acupuncture places thin filaments at specific points to stimulate nerves, muscles and connective tissue. In our clinic it is frequently combined with electrical stimulation, where a mild current is connected to the inserted filaments to drive a stronger response from the treated area.
The instrument looks the same, but the reasoning behind it is not. Dry needling targets a specific dysfunctional muscle identified through orthopedic examination. Acupuncture works from a different framework and uses established point locations, and its effects tend to be broader — influencing pain modulation and the nervous system more generally rather than releasing one muscle.
Neither is a replacement for the other. Which one you get depends on what the exam finds, and some patients benefit from both at different stages of care.
Filaments are placed and left in for a period while you rest, often with electrical stimulation attached. Most people find the experience relaxing and feel very little during insertion. Mild soreness afterward is possible but usually minimal.
Chronic pain that has not responded to other approaches, headaches, neck and back pain, joint pain, and stress-related muscular tension. Acupuncture is often a good fit for patients who find manual treatment or needling into a trigger point too intense.
Acupuncture works best alongside the rest of what we do rather than in isolation — typically with adjustments, soft tissue therapy, and rehabilitation.