Dry needling

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Dry needling is the use of a solid needle for therapy. This contrasts with the use of a hollow hypodermic needle to inject substances such as saline solution to the same point. Such use of a solid needle has been found to be as effective as injection of substances in such cases as relief of pain in muscles and connective tissue. Analgesia produced by needling a pain spot has been called the needle effect.^[1]

A survey of acupuncture and dry needling for the treatment of chronic lower back pain concluded that "Dry-needling appears to be a useful adjunct to other therapies".^[2]

[edit] Comparison with acupuncture

Acupuncture has been defined as "...the insertion of a solid needle into any part of the human body for disease prevention, therapy or maintenance of health."^[3] Dry needling is therefore a similar technique to acupuncture. The difference is the diagnostic and therapeutic framework within which the treatment occurs. For example, osteopaths and chiropractors may use dry needling as part of their treatment.^[3] Such different terminology may be used in order to escape the burden of statutory regulation of acupuncture.^[3] To provide some equivalence between the different practioners of acupuncture across its wide spectrum of professional uses, the development of National Occupational Standards was recommended by the Acupuncture Regulatory Working Group established by the Department of Health and other interested bodies.^[3]

[edit] References

^ K. Lewit (Feb 1979), “The needle effect in the relief of myofascial pain”, Pain (no. 1): 83-90
^ Furlan AD, van Tulder MW, Cherkin DC, Tsukayama H, Lao L, Koes BW, Berman BM (2005), Acupuncture and dry-needling for low back pain, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d The Statutory Regulation of the Acupuncture Profession, Acupuncture Regulatory Working Group, September 2003, <http://www.ehpa.eu/pdf/ARWG_report_2003.pdf>