May 1, 2022

What Is Dry Needling? | Dry Needling Explained | Fuel Physical Therapy & Sports Performance

Dry needling is the use of a thin, monofilament style needle that is inserted into a trigger point in a muscle. It is often also called trigger point dry needling. No medication injected or used with this procedure, hence the term dry needling. The needle used is an acupuncture style needle. Is dry needling the same as acupuncture? While the needle is the same, the philosophies used are typically different. Most acupuncture is based on traditional Chinese medicine, whereas dry needling focuses on targeting specific trigger points in the muscle and is based on a Western medicine approach. Some acupuncturists do perform dry needling but most focus largely on the Eastern medicine style of acupuncture. Dry needling may be performed by properly trained and educated physical therapists, however not all physical therapists are trained in dry needling since the training is done via courses after the doctorate program and not included in most doctoral programs.