The chiropractors sometimes use acupuncture techniques to help to reduce pain levels. The type of acupuncture used is also known as 'myofascial dry needling'. Essentially, acupuncture needles are inserted into muscular 'trigger points' that are contributing to the patients pain.
Reducing pain levels with acupuncture techniques in this way will often enable the chiropractor to start to improve the patients function with other techniques such as manipulation, and rehabilitative exercise.
Acupuncture is usually painless. Most patients are unaware of the needles being inserted, as they are so fine.
Acupuncture has a long history of use in pain management. A study was published in 2004 in the British Medical Journal about its efficacy in the treatment of knee pain.