No - Your therapist and an acupuncturist use the same equipment – the needle. Dry needling is used for musculoskeletal reasons versus holistic medicine reasons and is a tool that is used in your therapist’s existing practice.

This technique can help a variety of musculoskeletal pain and dysfunction you may be experiencing. It has been shown to improve pain, mobility, and ultimately assist in restoring function and improving performance to meet your goals.

Examples of conditions that may benefit from dry needling: shoulder impingement, patella-femoral pain syndrome, shin splints, Achilles tendinitis, tennis/golfer’s elbow.

Most patients do not even feel the needle penetrate the skin, but once it is advanced into the muscle, the feeling of discomfort can vary drastically from patient to patient. If the muscle is sensitive and shortened or has active trigger points within it, the subject may feel a sensation much like a muscle cramp — which is often referred to as a ‘twitch response.'

You may experience some soreness in the treatment area – immediately or even the next day, this varies from person to person.

Bruising is possible, but somewhat uncommon, but is not a concern.

It is common to feel fatigued, energized, emotional, or giddy after treatment. This is a normal response to dry needling and may last a couple hours after treatment.

Increase water intake for 24 hours following.

Take a hot bath or provide heat to the treatment area.

Based on your comfort level you may work out, stretch, massage the area, use heat or ice as preferred, and participate in normal physical activity.

Typically positive results are apparent within 2-4 treatment sessions but can vary depending on the cause and duration of the symptoms, overall health of the patient, and experience level of the practitioner.

The most serious risk with dry needling is accidental puncture of a lung (pneumothorax). If this were to occur, it may likely require a chest x-ray and no further treatment. The symptoms of shortness of breath may last for several days to weeks. A more severe puncture can require hospitalization and re-inflation of the lung. This is a rare complication, and in skilled hands it should not be a major concern.

Other risks include injury to a blood vessel causing a bruise, infection, and/or nerve injury. Bruising is a common occurrence and should not be a concern.