Acupuncture or dry needling can be rather complex and it is important that you understand the difference between the two.

Acupuncture and dry needling use the same style of needle, but the theory and clinical reasoning behind the needle placement is where these practices differ. Dry needling is commonly practiced by allied health practitioners and it involves the insertion of a needle into soft tissues for the purpose of reducing myofascial tension therefore increasing musculoskeletal function.  In other words if you happen to be sensitive at the time of assessment, instead of digging our fingers into the sore areas, a needle inserted to achieve the same goal.  Acupuncture, however, is a traditional Chinese Medicine approach that uses the theory of meridians and the placement of needles to restore the body’s Qi flow.  Qi is the flow of yin and yang. Acupuncture is commonly used for pain management and swelling with chronic conditions.

Common body regions popular by our patient’s are; calf and hamstrings, forearms, upper back and trapezius, gluteal muscles are also used in combination, with headache treatment.