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Patient Guide · Blaine, Minnesota

Dry Needling Is Acupuncture.
Training Matters.

Dry needling and trigger point needling are names for techniques within acupuncture. At Ackerman, this is established acupuncture care—not a newly added service.

Searching for dry needling in Blaine or the north metro? Understand what is behind the name, why specialized needling education matters, and how to choose a practitioner.

Acupuncture by another name

Our position is clear: dry needling is acupuncture. Inserting a thin, solid acupuncture needle into a muscle or trigger point is a needling technique within acupuncture, even when it is advertised under a different name. “Dry” simply means that no medication is injected.

Mike has used orthopedic, motor-point, and trigger-point needling as part of his acupuncture practice. These techniques are part of his professional training and established care. We have not recently added “dry needling” as a separate treatment.

The American Association of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine identifies dry needling and trigger point needling as acupuncture and describes these terms as marketing names for a subset of acupuncture techniques. We share its concern that rebranding can lead patients to assume a different name means a different procedure—or equivalent needling education.

A different name does not replace specialized training.

Patients deserve to know who is inserting the needle, how that person learned to do it, and how much supervised clinical experience supports their care.

Tender points have a place in acupuncture

Acupuncture includes treatment of tender points traditionally called “ashi” points. The AAAOM identifies trigger point dry needling with this established acupuncture approach. Using a muscle or trigger point as the treatment target does not, in our view, turn acupuncture into a newly invented service.

Needling also remains an invasive procedure. Hands-on massage or manual therapy does not puncture the skin; inserting a needle does. That distinction matters when patients are considering the training and safety standards behind a treatment.

What Minnesota law says

Minnesota’s 2026 acupuncture law expressly includes therapies termed dry needling, trigger point therapy, and intramuscular therapy in its definition of acupuncture when they involve inserting needles through the skin for treatment.

The law also preserves the existing scope of other licensed health professionals. That legal provision does not establish that different professions receive equivalent acupuncture education or needling training.

Thousands of hours of education. Hundreds of clinical hours.

A licensed acupuncturist’s education is built around acupuncture: point location, needling anatomy, depth and angle, clean-needle technique, contraindications, treatment planning, and supervised patient care. Needling is central to the profession.

Northwestern Health Sciences University describes its Master of Acupuncture program as more than 2,300 total contact hours. Its 2026–2027 catalog requires 540 clinical internship hours as part of that graduate education. These are program requirements today, illustrating the extensive coursework and supervised care that support professional acupuncture training.

Physical therapists have substantial education in rehabilitation and movement, but that degree is not a graduate acupuncture qualification. Needling may be added through short supplemental courses. For example, Structure & Function Education advertises a foundational dry-needling course with 25 contact hours over Friday through Sunday. Some practitioners complete further courses; a single course does not describe everyone’s total training.

Our view is that a weekend needling course is not equivalent to thousands of hours of dedicated acupuncture education and supervised clinical training. Rebranding should not lower the standard patients expect for an invasive procedure.

Mike’s concern is that marketing the same needling techniques under another name can obscure that difference and diminish the importance of specialized education. Patients should not have to discover the training difference after they have agreed to treatment.

Why this is a patient-safety issue

A needle passes through the skin regardless of what the appointment is called. Safe treatment requires knowledge of the tissues beneath it, appropriate depth and angle, and the ability to recognize and respond to complications.

Needling can cause bruising, bleeding, infection, or injury to nerves and blood vessels. Near the chest and upper back, incorrect placement can puncture a lung and cause pneumothorax. Published reports document this complication after dry needling.

No practitioner or license makes needling risk-free. Our position is that patients deserve rigorous, specialized training standards for an invasive procedure—and clear information about those standards before treatment. This is more than a dispute over terminology.

Searching for dry needling in Blaine?

You do not need to book a newly introduced service at Ackerman. Schedule acupuncture and tell us about your pain, muscle tension, or movement concerns. Mike will assess whether orthopedic, motor-point, or trigger-point needling is appropriate within your acupuncture treatment plan.

Mike earned his master’s degree in acupuncture from Northwestern Health Sciences University in 2012. His approach combines traditional acupuncture with techniques directed at muscles and movement, supported by his acupuncture education and clinical experience.

Ask about training before you agree to needling

  • Are you a licensed acupuncturist? What professional degree and license do you hold?
  • How many hours of education focused specifically on acupuncture or dry needling?
  • How many hours involved supervised clinical needling with patients?
  • What training covered needle depth, anatomy, infection prevention, and complications?
  • What risks, alternatives, and expected benefits apply to my treatment?

Another acupuncturist’s perspective

Acupuncturist and educator Michelle Gellis discusses why treatment labels can obscure differences in needling education and why supervised training matters. Read Michelle Gellis’s article on acupuncture under the name “dry needling.”

Published in 2016, this is a professional perspective. Its legal claims and state counts should not be treated as a current summary of Minnesota law.

Sources and further reading

Quick Answers

Dry needling & acupuncture: common questions

Is dry needling the same as acupuncture?

Our position is yes: dry needling and trigger point needling are techniques within acupuncture, marketed under different names. Minnesota’s 2026 law explicitly includes these needle-based therapies in its definition of acupuncture. A provider’s training and treatment approach can still differ substantially.

Did Ackerman recently add dry needling?

No. Orthopedic, motor-point, and trigger-point needling are part of Mike’s established acupuncture practice. We use the search term “dry needling” to help patients find and understand this care, not to announce a new service.

Is all trigger point therapy acupuncture?

This discussion concerns trigger point needling: inserting a needle into tissue. Hands-on trigger point massage without needles is a different treatment.

How do I book this care?

Book an acupuncture appointment and describe your symptoms. Mike will determine which techniques are appropriate as part of an individualized treatment plan.