Dry needling pain treatment is an option for myofascial pain syndrome, but how, exactly, is it different from acupuncture? And more importantly, does it work?

What is dry needling? Dry needling is a pain treatment that involves the insertion of a solid filament needle through the skin and into muscle tissue. The objective is to put it directly into a myofascial trigger point, which is a hyperirritable spot in skeletal muscle that contributes to referred pain and motor dysfunction.

How is dry needling supposed to work? Dry needling is said to relieve pain via mechanical and biochemical effects from trigger point when local twitch responses, or spinal cord reflexes, are elicited.

How are dry needling and acupuncture related? While some sites emphasize that dry needling and acupuncture are not the same thing, there are a lot of similarities. Both use solid filament needles inserted into muscle tissue to get a physical response.

The main difference is that dry needling is based strictly on Western science, while acupuncture relies on an ancient Eastern foundation involving body energy meridians. Dry needling practitioners insert needles directly into myofascial trigger points, whereas acupuncturists choose from a group of accepted locations on the body.

Is dry needling painful? While many sites that offer dry needling or dry needling classes on the Internet mention how the insertion of the needle is either painless or akin to a “little electrical shock,” most fail to describe the aftereffects.

In one study printed in the American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, 100 percent of the patients who got dry needling in myofascial trigger points had post-injection soreness. And their pain was of “significantly greater intensity and longer duration” than in a similar group that received lidocaine injections, also in myofascial trigger points.

Depending on how sore you are, heat and/or ice packs, gentle stretches and avoidance of physically demanding activities may be advised for a few days.

Is there any risk of getting a disease from the needles? Your dry needling facility most likely uses prepackaged, sterile disposable needles that have zero risk of transferring disease. However, it’s wise to ask.

Does it really work? In the above-mentioned study, significant improvement occurred immediately after patients underwent dry needling or were injected with lidocaine, as long as local twitch responses (LTRs) were elicited during multiple needle insertions in myofascial trigger points.

However, 2004 research found that dry needling at myofascial trigger points was ineffective. In a comparison of three groups that received either dry needling, placebo laser or laser therapy, only the laser therapy group had a significant decrease in pain at rest and during activity, as well as an increase in individual pain thresholds.

“Lidocaine injection versus dry needling to myofascial trigger point: The importance of the local twitch response” by Hong, Chang-Zern MD. 1994 American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation.

“Comparison of Laser, Dry Needling, and Placebo Laser Treatments in Myofascial Pain Syndrome” by Ebru Ilbuldu et al. 2004 Photomedicine and Laser Surgery 22(4): 306-311.