Acupuncture VS. Dry Needling

By Blake Goehring, Physiotherapist

You’ve heard of acupuncture and dry needling, but did you know there is a difference between the two? Dry needling is the act of inserting a needle into the body without the passage of fluid. For example, when you get a booster shot, there is a fluid that is injected into your body through the needle being used. Or when you get blood, there is fluid being taken from your body. A dry needle is simply a tiny piece of steel that is so small, it’s actually fractions of a millimetre in thickness. In dry needling, this tiny needle carefully slides through the skin into a targeted area of tissue to provide tension or pain relief.

Acupuncture is a form of dry needling, but not all dry needling is acupuncture! Sometimes, dry needling involves IMS, which stands for “Intramuscular Stimulation.” Let’s explore.

What is Acupuncture?

Acupuncture follows your body’s map. Where and how deep the needles go are based on this map, which outlines 12 different energy channels of the body. From a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) perspective, energy termed “Qi” (pronounced “Chee”) flows through these channels. Acupuncture is performed when these channels become blocked or obstructed. From a Western Medicine perspective, the needles are inserted into areas close to your body’s nerves. Acupuncture aims for three things: One, it helps your nervous system to stimulate healing. Two, it promotes blood flow. Third, it helps support your body’s immune system.

What is Intramuscular Stimulation (IMS) or Functional Dry Needling (FDN)?

Intramuscular Stimulation, or Functional Dry Needling, uses a similar needle to the needle used for acupuncture, but with a vastly different technique. IMS/FDN targets trigger points, called “knots,” that have built up in local areas of a muscle. You’ve probably felt these before. Picture the following: a trigger point happens when a small, contractile unit of the muscle gets stuck and cannot relax. It feels like a literal knot in your muscle. More specifically, this might feel like a taut, fibrous band when you rub your fingers over a tender spot. IMS/FDN targets that trigger point, and then elicits a muscle twitch, with the goal of releasing the knot. This is essentially resetting your muscle.

Does it hurt?

Acupuncture and Dry Needling feel quite different once the needle penetrates the skin. Acupuncture is often painless. Sometimes, patients feel mild aches when the needles are in for a length of time. In contrast, dry needling causes a muscle to twitch, which is sometimes painful or causes a deep ache. Dry needles can take it a step further with stimulation, too! This happens when we attach cords to the needles, which send a small electric current to the area of pain. As a result, this gives the area an extra helping hand in releasing tension.

Which type of needling is right for me?

Of the two needling techniques, acupuncture is typically more mild and can be better for more acute situations, such as swelling and inflammation. If your problem is chronic, or your tissue causing problems is deep, then dry needling might be the better approach for you.

At Stride, our therapists know what to thoroughly assess in order to address your needs! We aim to find the most effective form of treatment, personalized for you. To learn more, call 403-343-8891 or book your appointment online.