Dry Needling

A Type of Acupuncture

Dry needling is a subset of acupuncture targeted to musculoskeletal issues. Dry needling is a treatment that uses a needle to stimulate a motor point. This stimulation causes the muscle to twitch, which in turn relaxes the muscle fibers and reduces pain.

Dry needling is an effective treatment for shortened muscles, which is a common cause of pain.

Woman stretching

What’s the difference between dry-needling and acupuncture?

Dry needling is a subset of acupuncture, and they are both performed with the same tools.

Dry needling focuses on a specific area, and is usually one part of a more holistic treatment plan.

Dry needling is a factory reset for a muscle. Technically speaking, we needle the muscle where the motor neurons innervate the muscle. This causes a twitch–a fasciculation–which resets the muscle.

Whenever there is an injury, our body’s natural response is to splint, or tighten up. Tight muscles can cause other problems, like bursitis and tendonitis. That becomes chronic pain.

Muscle shortening is also caused by posture issues, which can be addressed through dry needling.

Lucas Brown treating a patient

Does dry-needling feel different than acupuncture?

Dry needling can be more intense than acupuncture. Dr. Brown has more than a decade of experience needling and has developed a gentler approach with the same efficacy.

His technique has been honed with thousands of patients.

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