I can't tell you how often we get the question, "What is the difference between dry needling (DN) and medical acupuncture (MA)?" Simply put, DN is needling into muscles, while MA is needling along nerve and connective tissue pathways. DN is best for painful muscle knots, while MA employs a variety of needling techniques and needling locations...
THE TRIGGER POINT EPIDEMIC
Myofascial Trigger Points (MTrPs) Almost all of us suffer from trigger points. MTrPs are clinically diagnosed as palpable taut bands in the muscle that are tender when pressed. Often, these trigger points refer lightning pain in distant areas and pain with stretching. A local twitch response with acupuncture confirms active MTrPs. MTrPs have ...
Dry Needling vs Acupuncture
What is the scope of practice for acupuncturists and physical therapists? You might be surprised to find that although physical therapists around the country are performing dry needling, they may be doing so illegally. Each profession has a scope of practice that is determined by each state. State by state the SOP (scope of practice) changes. There...
Let's Be Honest About Dry Needling: Part Three
In case you haven't tried dry needling, here is what it looks like... OUCH!? I would say that dry needling is usually painful and effective. I incorporate both dry needling and traditional acupuncture into my practice. In recent studies it has been suggested that the combination of the two is more effective than dry needling alone. It's been ...
Let's Be Honest About Dry Needling: Part Two
Acupuncturist VS Physical Therapist April 18th, 2017 The Denver Post published an article about the new lawsuit the Acupuncture Association of Colorado served APTA (American Physical Therapy Association) of Colorado for Dry Needling. Let's take a look at the ambiguity in the debate over training hours spent needling. In the Denver Post articl...
Let's Be Honest About Dry Needling
Earlier this year, the Acupuncture Association of Colorado (AAC) filed a lawsuit against the Colorado branch of American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) for the "unsafe use of Dry Needling." Why? Because less than 200 acupuncturists in the state of Colorado who are members of the AAC have determined that dry needling done by physical ther...