Medical Acupuncture & Dry Needling Providers

Dr. Derek Martyniuk (D.C) & Dr. Scott Dainty (N.D)

Dry needling is a treatment technique that uses thin, sterile needles inserted into specific trigger points within muscles and connective tissue to reduce pain, relieve tension, and improve movement. It is commonly used to address musculoskeletal conditions, sports injuries, and chronic pain.

Medical acupuncture is an evidence-based treatment performed by regulated healthcare professionals that involves inserting fine needles into specific points on the body to help relieve pain, promote healing, and support the nervous system. It is often used as part of an integrated approach to managing conditions such as headaches, arthritis, back pain, and stress-related disorders.

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What is Acupuncture used for?

These are some of the conditions we treat:
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Low back pain, Hip pain, SI joint pain

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Sciatica & Peripheral Nerve Entrapments

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Headaches, Neck pain, Whiplash

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Elbow, Wrist, & Hand Pain

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Rotator Cuff Tendonitis, Shoulder blade pain

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Others: carpal tunnel, fibromyalgia, addiction support, digestive support, etc

Dr Scott Dainty

Naturopathic Doctor

Dr. Scott did his naturopathic education at the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine (CCNM) in Toronto, ON. CCNM is one of 2 schools in North America that includes 4 years of acupuncture training in the curriculum, equating to over 1000 hours of combined training and clinical experience while in the program. Since graduating he has been practicing naturopathic medicine and acupuncture since the beginning of 2020. Having completed a bachelors of science and masters of science both in kinesiology, he has a strong grasp on anatomy, injury assessment, and causes of pain. He has also completed training in pain-focused acupuncture, as well as functional rehabilitation. Scott has a special focus is getting your injuries under control and back to pain-free movement so you can return to sport and exercise as quickly, and safely, as possible. And acupuncture can play a pivotal role in this process.

Dr. Scott is trained in traditional and medical acupuncture, blending the two approaches provides direct relief for muscles and joints, as well as indirect relief by decreasing nervous system tone. Acupuncture treatments with Dr. Scott are often a combination of dry needling (if indicated), traditional and medical acupuncture, and use of electro-stimulation when needed. 

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What does Acupuncture actually do?

Acupuncture’s effects are far reaching, and not restricted to just relaxing muscles. A question I get asked a lot is: what does acupuncture actually do? So these are some of the effects acupuncture has on your body.
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Pain Reduction

Acupuncture has a local anti-inflammatory effect and anti-pain receptor effect. It stops or slows the pace at which pain signals are sent to the brain and also activates pain-inhibitory pathways in the brain. This is why people often experience an immediate pain reduction effect. Acupuncture increases the release of endorphins, which are you body’s natural pain killers. This effect is increased with electroacupuncture. Some studies using MRI, show that emotional centres of the brain get activated, improving emotional processing of pain to favour a lower pain state. Pain is often reported to be less unpleasant, or less intense, after acupuncture.
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Tissue Healing

Acupuncture decreases your fight or flight activation and favours the rest, digest, and repair nervous system activation. This allows your body to more efficiently heal and repair damaged tissues. Manipulating the acupuncture needle causes your body’s fascia to wrap around the needle which stimulates fibroblast activity. These are cells that trigger your body to increase collagen production - leading to a tissue healing effect. Inserting acupunctures into tissue creates micro damage which also stimulates fibroblast activity.

What is Dry Needling?

Dry needling is a technique used in acupuncture for tight muscle knots and movement restriction. It is composed of locating tight muscle knots, called myofascial trigger points, then inserting an acupuncture needle through the knot. This triggers a local muscle twitch signalling that the knot has been resolved. There can be many knots within a small area, so often the treatment is composed of multiple muscle twitches while treating a single area. These are some of the clinical improvements we see:

  • Decreased pain at the site of muscle tension
  • Improved range of motion compared to pre-treatment
  • Decreased muscle tension
  • Induction of a tissue healing response
  • Restored blood flow and nervous system functioning

Is Acupuncture Covered By Insurance?

YES

The short answer is yes, but it depends on the type of practitioner you see for treatment. There are a variety of practitioners that have acupuncture in their scope of practice, and extended health benefit coverage depends on which practitioner you see. When you see a licensed acupuncturist, treatment is billed to “acupuncture” benefits. When you see a chiropractor such as Dr. Derek, we bill to “chiropractic” benefits, and when you see a naturopath such as Dr. Scott, we bill to “naturopath” benefits. Check your extended health benefits package to determine what coverage you qualify for.