EPISODE · Nov 4, 2025 · 21 MIN

Difference between dry needling and acupuncture?

from What's That Rash? · host Australian Broadcasting Corporation

If you've seen a physiotherapist, you might’ve undergone needling with the promise it will reduce your pain.Did you receive dry needling or acupuncture? How can you tell the difference between the two?Norman and Tegan poke through the evidence to find out how effective these techniques can be.References:Similarities between Ashi acupoints and myofascial trigger points: Exploring the relationship between body surface treatment points Dry Needling versus Acupuncture: The Ongoing DebateAcupuncture: Past, Present, and Future Clinical Effectiveness of Dry Needling in Patients with Musculoskeletal Pain—An Umbrella Review Methodological challenges in design and conduct of randomised controlled trials in acupuncture Needling Point Location Used in Sham Acupuncture for Chronic Nonspecific Low Back Pain: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-AnalysisComparison of dry needling and trigger point manual therapy in patients with neck and upper back myofascial pain syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysisAcupuncture for Chronic Pain: Individual Patient Data Meta-analysisAcupuncture for musculoskeletal pain: A meta-analysis and meta-regression of sham-controlled randomized clinical trialsMagic tricks are helping scientists understand the placebo effect and pain - ABC NewsIf you enjoyed this episode, check these out!Can you zap yourself buff with electrical muscle stimulation?Are office jobs ruining our bodies?Is gluten really the enemy?