Acupuncture is a complementary medical practice rooted in traditional Chinese medicine that entails stimulating certain points on the body – most often with a needle penetrating the skin – to alleviate pain or to help treat various health conditions.

Dry needling is a technique employed by physical therapists and is similar in that a needle is inserted into the skin to alleviate pain. However, the primary difference between acupuncture and dry needling is that acupuncture treats for the purpose of altering the flow of Qi (or energy) along traditional Chinese meridians while dry needling follows evidence-based guidelines, recommended “point” locations, and dosages for the treatment of specific conditions.

Physical therapists in Olmito and Port Isabel use dry needling with the goals of addressing neuromuscular conditions, relieving pain, and/or improving range of motion. Evidence to date supports that dry needling improves pain control, reduces muscle tension and normalizes dysfunctions of the motor end plates, the sites at which nerve impulses are transmitted to muscles. This can help speed up the patient's return to active rehabilitation.

Watch Dr. Rocio Martinez Perform DN on her patients!