No-Needle Pain Treatments

How do acupuncture and dry needling work?

You may be wondering what the difference is between acupuncture and dry needling. In essence, both practices can be effective for musculoskeletal pain, but acupuncture also addresses a wider range of conditions by influencing the body’s energy flow.

Dry needling focuses on trigger points within muscles to reduce pain and tension, while acupuncture follows traditional Chinese medicine principles that can treat a wide range of ailments. Both forms of needling help reduce pain by activating the body's endogenous opioid system therefore, oftentimes reducing the need for medication. Acupuncture and dry needling both stimulate nerves and can even aid in nerve regeneration.

For overactive nerves both modalities can help reduce sensitivity by activating the parasympathetic system, the part of the nervous system that gets engaged when we are relaxed. Modern research indicates that acupuncture can stimulate the release of endorphins, enkephalins, and dopamine, along with other feel-good neurochemicals. This not only helps reduce pain perception but can help improve symptoms of depression and anxiety.

As you can see both forms of needling have their place in the clinical setting. At Body Renu & Anti-Aging I combine the use of both to produce better pain reduction outcomes or individually as needed on a case by case basis.