Acupuncture and Dry Needling

Acupuncture has a local and systemic effect on the physiology of the body. Meaning, acupuncture affects the whole body. This holistic approach allows acupuncturist to treat a wide range of conditions including acute or chronic pain, sports injuries, digestion, fertility, anxiety, depression, sleep and more. Acupuncture needles are often placed around the whole body; in the forearms, forelegs, abdomen, chest, back and head to create this systemic effect. Acupuncturists focus on the whole body system while simultaneously focusing on a specific condition or a pain condition and can incorporate dry needling & orthopedic acupuncture.

Acupuncture helps to normalize background physiological functions of the body, down regulating the sympathetic fight or flight nervous system that leads to disease. While stimulating the parasympathetic rest and repair nervous system that heals us from disease. Often creating a deep sense of relaxation and wellbeing.

Research shows that acupuncture stimulates the body to release it’s naturally occurring chemicals; like serotonin that is mood stabilizing, dopamine the ‘feel good’ hormone, and natural opioids that help reduce pain. The release of these naturally occurring chemicals creates homeostasis or balance for the nervous system, reduces pain and helps us have an overall sense of wellbeing. Acupuncture is a minimally invasive way to create homeostasis or balance in the nervous system that is an essential part of health and healing.

Acupuncture has been used for thousands of years and sometimes as a primary system of preventative healthcare. Acupuncture continues to be studied with breakthroughs in scientific understanding of the underlying pathomechanisms. Some people describe acupuncture as treating the energy of the body, but it isn’t the kind of metaphysical energy medicine that comes to mind, it is the bodies nervous system that acupuncture regulates. Additionally, the holistic nature of acupuncture also includes recommendations for diet and lifestyle to help provide at home approaches to support optimal health.

 
Dry needling has a local effect to the muscle generating a pain condition and needles are placed directly in the muscle(s). The targeted methodology has several distinct focuses; to mechanically turn on a muscle that is not getting the neural impulses to contract appropriately during movement patterns or to relax a tight muscle that is over working often due to other muscles not firing correctly. This is done by creating change in the motor endplate called the motor point of a muscle by reestablishing normal muscle contraction or to release trigger points in the muscle tissue due to inflammation.

Dry needling strives to normalize the electrical signaling within each affected muscle. This allows for normal biomechanical functions of the muscle and ultimately creates positive change to the whole myofascial chain. Meaning, when a muscle does not function properly it will create disruption to the movement pattern of the body. Over time this can lead to movement disorders that cause wear and tear to joints, puts extra strain on muscles and eventually can cause pain conditions.

The practice of dry needling often includes looking at where there might be disfunction in the movement patterns, what muscle is contributing to that dysfunction by either not firing or over firing. Needling the muscle directly can help correct that disfunction. When followed by strengthening and lifestyle changes the combination helps to reestablish movement patterns and resolve or reduce pain conditions.
 
Dry needling is part of an acupuncturist scope of practice and is often a post graduate specialty for those who want to dive deeper into orthopedic acupuncture. Acupuncturists dry needling treatments tend to be very comfortable due to the extensive training in needling the body during the 3-4 year master program for acupuncture.
Other practitioners that can offer dry needling include physiatrists, medical doctors, doctor of osteopathy, naturopaths, and physical therapists.
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No matter what type of practitioner provides dry needling, it requires a deep understanding of anatomy, movement patterns and biomechanics.
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