DRY NEEDLING VS ACUPUNCTURE

ACUPUNCTURE is a form of traditional Chinese medicine, in which needles are used to unblock the flow of vital energy along meridians or channels.

DRY NEEDLING takes a more modern, biomedical approach to musculoskeletal treatment. Dry needling is used to treat intramuscular trigger points and stimulate nerve endings, which brings on a range of neural and biochemical effects contributing to pain relief.

There is level 1 evidence suggesting that dry needling is an effective method of treatment for a variety of musculoskeletal conditions, including neck, shoulder and back pain, headaches and osteoarthritis (Brukner & Khan, 2017).

Tight and painful upper traps are extremely common throughout the general population, and dry needling is a frequently used treatment modality to manage this complaint.

A trial was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of dry needling the upper trapezius muscles in 44 office workers. Significant benefits were reported in terms of both pain and range of motion, and the study supports the use of dry needling as an intervention in the management of trapezius related neck and shoulder pain (Cerezo-Tellez E, et al., 2016).

Curious about dry needling?

Call CB Physiotherapy on 0409 952 746 to see what it can do for you.

Chris Bryceson

B. Health Sciences (Physio), APAM

CB Physiotherapy