Acupuncture vs Dry Needling

What is Acupuncture?




Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese therapy used to treat various conditions, both physical and mental. It has been practiced since 100BC, and possibly a long time before. As with many Eastern remedies, acupuncture is based around the concept of Qi, the energy that flows along meridian lines throughout the body.


Qi is believed to balance the body. Infirmity, pain, and soft tissue dysfunctions are thought to be an imbalance of Qi, or a blockage in the flow. There are 20 meridian lines within the body, and several hundred (even up to 2,000) points along these lines that act as channels for manipulating the energy within.

It’s important to note that Qi is invisible, and so are the meridian lines and points. You cannot dissect a body and see these things, they are theoretical. When this treatment was developed, scientific research was primarily conducted by practicing on live beings, and observing the results. For this reason, it’s easy to understand how they could develop a helpful treatment, either through a placebo effect, or actual effect through trial and error and patient feedback.


What does an acupuncture treatment involve?


An acupuncturist will seek to achieve homeostasis, or balance, by ensuring that Qi can flow evenly throughout the entire body. They use a range of very fine needles to penetrate the skin and soft tissue. These needles are inserted into the relevant acupuncture points. It’s not as simple as the point in the thumb is for the thumb, and the ones around the knee are for the knee. Rather, the meridian lines that run throughout the body determine what the points will relate to. For example: the meridian line of the heart runs along each arm, from the armpit down to the tip of the little finger, and there are many acupuncture points along this line relating to the heart.


As you can see, it’s quite complicated! Throw in the other aspects of infection control, correct use of needles, understanding when to use different needle gauges, extensive knowledge of ailments and illnesses, and it’s easy to see why Australian certification requires a Bachelor’s Degree with hundreds of clinic hours.

What is Dry Needling?


In stark contrast to the ancient roots of acupuncture, ‘dry needling’ is very modern, being properly developed only in the last 40 or 50 years.

Dr Janet Travell published research on treating trigger points with injections. Various substances were injected directly into the trigger point, a painful nodule found within the muscle. Over the decades, it was discovered that the muscle was responding to the stimulation of the needle, not the substance injected. Hence, the term “dry needling” was used to distinguish the method from the original “wet needling” practice.


The goal of dry needling is to treat trigger points, resulting in pain relief and restored muscle function and health. The practitioner will insert an acupuncture needle into a trigger point, and watch for a twitch response. This twitch is a good indicator that the needle has been placed correctly and the point has been effectively stimulated.

So, What's the difference?


Firstly, acupuncture and dry needling have very different philosophical foundations. Acupuncture is based in Eastern religion and theory. Dry needling is based in modern science. If you believe in Qi, acupuncture must be held in high esteem. If not, dry needling would seem the more direct and effective treatment.

Secondly, although they both seek to restore health and function, and relieve discomfort, acupuncture will attempt to do this by correcting a person’s Qi (remember, if the Qi is balanced, the body will benefit as a whole). Whereas dry needling will attempt to release a problematic trigger point, and that’s that.

Thirdly, acupuncture can only be performed by an acupuncturist, and they spend several years studying and practicing their art before they are qualified. On the other hand, dry needling can be practiced by any qualified manual therapist: osteopath, physiotherapist, chiropractor, remedial massage therapist, etc. These therapists can go and learn dry needling over a weekend and start practicing the following Monday.

Both therapies are performed with the same tools and actions, but the theory behind it, the placement of the needles, and the goal of the treatment is in fact very different.


PLEASE NOTE: You cannot receive either acupuncture or dry needling treatments at Kneaded Relief, this is simply a brief overview for your information, and an answer to a frequently asked question.