Dry needling is a newer treatment and evolved in the last few decades. It focuses exclusively on treating musculoskeletal and neuromuscular pain by releasing trigger points. Acupuncture restores energy flow, while dry needling targets dysfunctional muscle trigger points. In Chinese medicine, diseases result from disruption in the flow of vital energy, Qi. What acupuncture can do is to work on getting energy moving again. Acupuncture is usually used to treat many different issues like pain issues, memory issues, skin issues, menstrual issues or digestive issues. It has been proven that the brain can release a chemical called endorphin after the needles are put in the areas close to nerves, which means it can relax our nervous system and make our body release its own naturally occurring pain killers.
Before the treatment, the practitioners will do the consultation to diagnose which pattern or syndrome you currently have and then choose the positions like lying down with your head up or down or on either side. During the treatment, the sensation you may have is a little bit of sharpness on the surface as the needle is going in which dissipates really quickly and sometimes you may feel numbness, tingling or aching when the needles are in. These feelings are what we are looking for. Because that shows us the qi, the vital energy, has arrived at the needle and it is starting to balance the body’s energy. After the treatment, sometimes you may feel dizzy, loopy, calm or refreshed. The reaction can vary from different individual. But it’s common to have these feelings when your body starts to regulate or balance energy.