Acupuncture originates from Traditional Chinese Medicine practices. The principles of Chinese acupuncture are based on Qi (pronounced "chee") which is defined as "the circulating life force" or "energy flow" within each person. According to Chinese medicine principles, if one's Qi is disrupted or blocked, it causes illness. Acupuncture is therefore one of the traditional treatments of this and works along paths in which Qi flows. Needles are inserted into specific acupuncture points along the meridians.
Dry Needling is a Western Medicine technique. In the early 1940s doctors used to inject analgesics, corticosteroids or anaesthetics into trigger points in the muscle. Thereafter, it was discovered that inserting the needle into the muscle had an effect in relieving pain, even without the injected substance. This is how dry needling came about. Dry needling is based on biomedical understandings of the human body. The needles are inserted into muscles or tissues and aim to target that specific area by eliciting a mechanical and a chemical response. Dry needling works specifically on the musculoskeletal system and aims to relieve myofascial pain.