01/10/2026
Recent research looked at dry needling improving pain and mobility and showed dry needling (acupuncture needles to areas of the joint and muscle) to the knee along with electrical stimulation to the needles, we get better pain relief than with stretches, strengthening, and even NSAIDs like ibuprofen and aspirin.
Key takeaways:
Patients in this trial went from an average of
⇨ 6/10 on the pain scale to a 2.6/10 within 6 weeks
While the patients who got a 4 week “booster” continued to reduce overall pain to
⇨ 1.3/10 at 30 weeks.
In addition, they cut their knee disability due to pain scores from a
⇨ 46/96 down to a 12/96(where a lower score equals less disability due to pain.