Dry Needling vs. Acupuncture in Denver

Hands working on a patient's tight shoulder during a treatment

Questions this page answers

  • Is dry needling the same as acupuncture?

  • Which one hurts more?

  • Can a physical therapist do acupuncture in Colorado?

  • What does Colorado law say?

  • Which is better for a tight muscle, and which for chronic pain?

  • How do the costs compare?

  • When should I see a physical therapist first?

Same needle, different training

At least once a week a new patient tells me they had dry needling at a physical therapist, found it intense, and are nervous about acupuncture. Both use the same thin filiform needle. Beyond that they are different procedures, done by differently trained people, under different Colorado rules.

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A technique versus a system

Dry needling is a technique: a needle goes into a tight band of muscle, a trigger point, to make it release. Acupuncture is a full system that includes that technique and more: points on the hands, feet, ears and scalp, pulse and tongue diagnosis, and a plan built around your whole presentation.

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Different training

A licensed acupuncturist completes a graduate degree in acupuncture and passes national board exams before the state issues a license. Physical therapists and chiropractors add dry needling to a license they already hold, with a course measured in hours. That is not a criticism: a physical therapist's degree covers a great deal that mine does not.

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What Colorado law says

The Colorado Acupuncture Practice Act names dry needling as part of acupuncture and reserves the titles acupuncturist and L.Ac. for licensed practitioners. The physical therapy and chiropractic boards allow dry needling under their own rules, which state that it is not acupuncture and cannot be presented as acupuncture.

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Needle and technique

Dry needling courses tend to use thicker needles and a pistoning motion until the muscle twitches, which can feel intense and leave you sore for a day or two. I use thinner needles, fewer of them, left in for 20 to 30 minutes, and when a trigger point needs releasing I often use a gentler lift-and-thrust or a mild current between two needles.

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Choosing between them

What dry needling is good for

Releasing a stubborn trigger point in a specific muscle, inside a physical therapy program that also rebuilds strength and movement.

What acupuncture adds

It treats the tight muscle and also the nervous system that keeps it tight, which matters for pain that has lasted more than a few months, pain in several places, pain with poor sleep or stress, headaches and migraines, and anything that is not purely muscular.

Cost

Dry needling is usually part of a physical therapy or chiropractic visit, so you pay your copay if the visit is covered. Acupuncture here is a 90-minute first visit with a full assessment, trigger point work and the rest of the treatment. I do not bill insurance directly, but you receive a superbill and HSA and FSA cards work. Dry needling inside a covered PT visit is usually cheaper per session; acupuncture is a longer visit that does more per session.

When I refer you to a physical therapist

If your problem is weakness, instability or a movement pattern that needs retraining, a physical therapist should be your main provider and I am the add-on. The same is true after surgery or for a joint that gives way. Many patients see a PT the same week they see me, and I am glad to coordinate.

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Patients from across southeast Denver

Easy to reach

The clinic is at 3600 South Beeler Street, Suite 150, in Hampden Town Center at Hampden Avenue and I-25, with free parking at the door. It is about five minutes from the Denver Tech Center and Greenwood Village.

How many visits

A recent muscular problem typically takes three to six visits. Long-standing pain usually takes six to ten.

Pair it with

I often pair trigger point work with cupping, and I work alongside physical therapists in southeast Denver.

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124 Five Star Reviews

Mike at subtle point is a pro! He has helped me numerous times deal with musculoskeletal pain in my back, legs, shoulder, neck and hands! He’s great at what he does and is very personable so I gladly give him five stars!

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247 Five Star Reviews

Michael was PERFECT! He asked a lot of questions about my pain and went to work on relieving it. The pain in my side that would wake me up every night for years has been gone for 4 days now thanks to the acupuncture. I also received such an amazing neck and head rub it made my toes tingle! I also noticed that I can go much deeper in my yoga poses after one treatment. Michael knows his work!


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“Mike is so thorough and knowledgeable. Best acupuncture experience I have ever had. I will definitely be going back!”

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Prices

Payment

We accept cash, check, all major credit cards, and HSA/FSA cards. We don’t bill insurance directly, but we can provide a superbill you can submit to your insurance company for possible reimbursement.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • No. They use the same type of needle, and Colorado law lists dry needling as one part of acupuncture. Dry needling is a single technique for trigger points. Acupuncture includes that technique and a wider system of points and diagnosis, and it takes a graduate degree and national board exams to be licensed.

  • Most patients find dry needling more intense, because the technique moves a thicker needle in and out of the muscle until it twitches, and soreness for a day or two afterward is common. Acupuncture uses thinner needles left in place, and most patients describe it as relaxing. Trigger point work inside an acupuncture treatment can still produce a brief deep ache.

  • Not under that name. The physical therapy board's rule states that dry needling by a PT is not the practice of acupuncture, and the chiropractic rule says dry needling cannot be presented as acupuncture and excludes ear and distal points. Only a licensed acupuncturist may use the title in Colorado.

  • Dry needling is usually part of a PT or chiropractic visit, so you pay your copay if the visit is covered, sometimes plus a cash fee. Acupuncture at The Subtle Point is $150 for a 90-minute first visit and $60 to $130 for follow-ups, with a superbill for your insurer.

  • For a single tight muscle inside a rehab program, dry needling fits. For TMJ, sciatica and migraines, the pain involves nerves and the nervous system as much as muscle, and acupuncture treats both. Many patients do well with a PT for strength and acupuncture for pain at the same time.

  • Search the DORA license lookup under the profession Acupuncturist. Anyone using the title in Colorado must hold a current license. I also hold the NCCAOM Diplomate of Traditional Chinese Medicine credential.

  • Rarely, and never the way an injection does. Acupuncture needles are about the width of a human hair. Most people feel a brief tap, then a dull, heavy or warm sensation that fades in a few seconds. If any point feels sharp, tell me and I will adjust or remove it.