Is Dry Needling Different To Acupuncture?
No. ‘Dry needling’, also known as ‘myofascial trigger points’ or ‘trigger point needling’ – are actually techniques that have been described in both classical and contemporary Chinese medical literature. Trigger points are referred to in these texts as ‘Ashi Points’. The first reference to Ashi Points – which literally translates as ‘Ah yes!’ – was by Sun Simiao in his book Qian Jin Yao Fang (Thousand Ducat Formulas) in 652A.D.. – over 1300 years ago.
This is not a ‘new technique’ that was developed in the 1930s. But the title ‘dry needling’ was invented by western trained practitioners who believed Chinese medicine terminology sounded too ‘mystical’. ‘Dry needling’ is essentially a term that is used to describe a technique that has been used in Chinese medicine acupuncture for over 2000 years. A properly trained Acupuncturist knows how to needle Ashi Points effectively.
The above material was extracted from this excellent blog post written by one of our esteemed colleagues: Dry Needling or Acupuncture – What’s the Difference?