How Medical Acupuncture (Dry Needling) Can Help Heal Your Pain

Dry needling is the western take on traditional Chinese acupuncture methods, where instead of focusing on meridian lines, we focus on anatomical landmarks and local musculature to elicit a positive response in the tissue. This is then evidenced by the research and medical industry. 

The Chinese method is a little more complicated. They believe that the body is full of ‘invisible life-giving force known as “qi” (chee). When the qi flows well and without interruption a person experiences good mental and physical health. Therefore, by inserting the needle into specific non-anatomical points it releases the blocked qi and allows for the body to heal itself. This thought of ‘qi’ isn’t too bizarre, imagine it as the inner workings and pathways of the body’s natural process. 

Acupuncture is performed by inserting a sterile, small flexible needle into the skin. Each needle is sealed and comes with a guide tube to allow for minimal discomfort to the patient. They are one-use-only and are safely disposed of in a sharps bin. 

 

There is little to no pain during the insertion of the needle. Some people report a slight warming sensation after the needle has been in the position for a short time. This is due to increased local circulation. Once the needle is inserted, it is stimulated occasionally by twisting or gentle oscillations. This helps to increase the body’s response. 

 

Our practitioners use needles of 0.13mm and 0.25mm. This is smaller than a sewing and medical needle. 

By puncturing the skin, although it causes little to no physical injury, the stimulation is enough to produce a natural response by the body. This is why there’s increased circulation locally to the injection site as well as wound healing and pain modulation. There are well-evidenced reasons that increasing local circulation is beneficial for the healing process (removal of toxins, the introduction of oxygenated blood etc) and therefore there are a vast variety of injuries that dry needling can be used to treat to relieve short term symptoms of: 

 

 

 

Acupuncture can last anywhere from 30-60 minutes. Your practitioner will engage in a conversation to discuss your problems and get to the bottom of the issue. (Usually people seek treatment for the symptoms but in our experience, there’s usually something else underlying.) The actual use of needles for your subsequent treatments will be 75% of treatment time as well as hands-on massage to increase the potential benefits. 

 

In terms of results, patients often start seeing the benefits after treatment 3. This is due to the body reacting to the initial stimulus of an acupuncture needle. It is important to note that acupuncture is not for everyone and some people may react negatively (increase in pain and discomfort) however this is a small minority. 

 

Additionally, to make you, the patient, feel as relaxed as possible, the practitioner will clearly lay out the treatment plan and explain all possible side-effects and benefits of the treatment. This allows you to make an informed decision to improve your symptoms. In line with the Fire & Earth principles, the aim is to resolve pain, relax tissue and to allow for a better performance of day-to-day living.