As the needle hits ‘a sweet spot’ within the muscle belly, it can cause a local twitch response. When this happens, neurotransmitters get released on a chemical level such as acetylcholine and serotonin. This then works to aid in loosening off tight soft tissue. It essentially is a slightly more invasive way of calming the nervous system down and releasing tight muscles, assisting on your road to recovery.
This is different to traditional Chinese medicine such as acupuncture, which works on the meridian lines and the nervous system as a whole. It doesn’t focus necessarily on the point of pain but rather treating the whole system as a full body approach.