Both use the same thin monofilament needle, but that’s where the similarity ends. Dry needling targets trigger points through a Western anatomical lens, while acupuncture works from a traditional Chinese or orthopedic framework to address broader patterns of pain and imbalance. At Full Swing Healthcare, Dr. Cody Muren is trained and certified in both, so the right tool gets chosen based on what your body actually needs.
Dry Needling: A Direct Hit on the Problem Muscle
Dry needling is a Western, anatomy-driven technique. The target is a trigger point, a region of sustained contraction where the muscle is essentially stuck and cannot release on its own. Dr. Muren places the needle precisely into that spot to elicit a local twitch response. That twitch resets the motor endplate and lets the muscle return to its resting length.
No meridians. No energy channels. Just a mechanical intervention in mechanically dysfunctional tissue.
- Upper trapezius knots driving neck pain and headaches
- Piriformis tension causing sciatic referral down the leg
- Infraspinatus trigger points referring into the front of the shoulder
If the issue is a specific, palpable trigger point and the pain pattern is localized, dry needling is typically the right call.
Acupuncture: Treating the Bigger Picture
Acupuncture at Full Swing Healthcare is performed by Dr. Muren, who holds a certified acupuncturist credential alongside his chiropractic doctorate. He works in both traditional Chinese and orthopedic frameworks.
Traditional Chinese acupuncture uses the meridian system to identify and treat patterns of imbalance, not just localized pain, but also systemic concerns like fertility, stress, sleep disruption, and autonomic dysregulation. The needle placement map is completely different from dry needling because the underlying diagnostic system is different.
Orthopedic acupuncture bridges both worlds: anatomical reasoning paired with traditional diagnostic language. It’s a good fit when pain has a systemic or stress-driven component that mechanical treatment alone hasn’t fully resolved.
- Chronic headaches with a strong stress or autonomic element
- Diffuse pain that hasn’t fully responded to hands-on treatment
- Fertility support and hormonal concerns
- Sleep disruption and nervous system dysregulation
When We Use Both Together
Sometimes the best answer is a combination. One patient came to us with chronic upper trapezius pain and tension headaches that had persisted through two prior rounds of dry needling elsewhere. The trigger point pattern was real, dry needling was still appropriate. But Dr. Muren identified a significant stress and autonomic component that was continuously reloading the muscular tension. He combined dry needling of the specific trigger points with acupuncture targeting autonomic regulation. The result was a different quality and duration of relief than either approach had produced on its own.