Acupuncture / Dry Needling

Acupuncture / Dry Needling uses very fine, single-use needles placed at specific points to influence nerves, muscles and connective tissue. In modern medical terms, this gentle stimulation can trigger the release of natural pain-modulating chemicals (such as endorphins), improve local blood flow and help calm over-sensitive pain pathways. Traditional acupuncture also draws on the concept of restoring healthy “Qi” (energy) flow along meridians. Many clients simply experience it as a deeply relaxing reset. Dry needling is a Western approach that targets myofascial “trigger points” to release taut muscle bands and reduce referred pain.

What happens in an acupuncture / dry needling session

Dylan will start with a short consultation to understand your goals, health history and any red flags or needle concerns. You’ll lie comfortably while sterile, single-use needles are placed; you may feel a dull ache, warmth or tingling that settles within seconds. Needles typically remain in place for around 20–30 minutes, during which most people feel calm or even drowsy. A course is usually recommended (for example, weekly sessions for several weeks), and we’ll tailor frequency to your response.

What the best evidence shows for acupuncture / dry needling

• Chronic pain relief (musculoskeletal pain, osteoarthritis, chronic headache): A large individual patient-data meta-analysis of 39 high-quality trials (20,827 patients) found acupuncture outperformed both sham and no-treatment controls, with benefits that persisted at one year. Effects were small-to-moderate and not explained by placebo alone. PubMed

• Headache prevention: UK NICE guidance recommends a course of up to 10 sessions over 5–8 weeks for chronic tension-type headache; for migraine prevention it can be considered when first-line preventives aren’t suitable or haven’t helped. NICE

• Chronic primary pain (for example, fibromyalgia): NICE advises clinicians may consider a single course of acupuncture or dry needling as part of non-drug management for adults, within defined time/cost limits. NICE

• Nausea and vomiting after surgery: Stimulation of the P6 (wrist) point—via needles or related methods—reduces postoperative nausea/vomiting and performs similarly to standard antiemetic drugs in moderate-quality evidence. PubMed

• Osteoarthritis: A current Cochrane summary concludes acupuncture can produce small improvements in pain and function over 8–26 weeks. Cochrane