Acupuncture and Dry Needling in Des Moines, IA
Acupuncture and dry needling are two different tools that often get lumped together — and knowing the difference matters when you’re choosing where to go for treatment. Acupuncture, rooted in traditional Chinese medicine, uses thin needles placed at specific points to influence pain and nervous system regulation. Dry needling is a Western, biomechanically-based technique that targets myofascial trigger points — tight, irritable bands of muscle — to release tension and restore normal movement. We offer both, and which one (or which combination) fits depends on what’s actually driving your symptoms.
Book It On Its Own, or Alongside Other Care
You don’t need to be an existing chiropractic or PT patient to come in for acupuncture or dry needling — it’s available as its own appointment, on its own schedule. A lot of patients come to us specifically for needling and nothing else, and that’s a perfectly good reason to book.
That said, under Dr. Matthew Wilson, DC, FIACA’s evaluation-first approach, we’ll also tell you honestly if what’s going on would benefit from being paired with chiropractic adjustment, physical therapy, or massage. If a stand-alone series of needling sessions is genuinely the right call for what you’re dealing with, that’s what we’ll recommend — we’re not going to talk you into add-on services you don’t need.
What It’s Commonly Used For
- Myofascial trigger points and chronic muscle tension — especially in the upper back, shoulders, and neck
- Headaches, including cervicogenic headache — our tracked outcomes show 80% average improvement for cervicogenic headache cases
- Muscle tightness that’s limiting range of motion — often paired with chiropractic adjustment or PT to hold the gains from manual treatment
- Chronic pain patterns that haven’t fully responded to adjustment or soft-tissue work alone
What to Expect
Needles used in both acupuncture and dry needling are thin, sterile, and single-use. Most patients describe the sensation as a brief pinch or dull ache at the point of insertion, followed by a deep, releasing sensation as the muscle responds. Sessions are typically short, and you can book them as a stand-alone appointment or on the same visit as a chiropractic adjustment or physical therapy session — whichever fits your schedule and your treatment plan.
Getting Here From Des Moines
We’re located at 5504 Ashworth Rd, typically 10–15 minutes from most of Des Moines.
Services
What We Actually Treat
Regardless of which community you’re coming from, our approach doesn’t change: chiropractic care, physical therapy, acupuncture, and massage therapy, coordinated together rather than delivered in isolation. We treat the full range of conditions covered on our Injuries & Treatment page — from back and neck pain to sports injuries to pelvic floor health — no matter where in the metro you’re driving in from.
Coordinated Care, Under One Roof
Chiropractic care, physical therapy, acupuncture, massage, shockwave therapy, and functional medicine are coordinated under one roof, so a patient who needs more than one discipline is not left to manage care between separate offices. Each provider works from the same diagnosis, in the right sequence, toward the same goal: getting you better.