In warm needling the needle is inserted and manipulated as usual, and a small piece of moxa is attached to the handle and lit. The heat travels down the shaft into the tissue, warming the point while the needle remains in place.
The technique suits conditions that require both retention and warming: chronic cold bi, joint pain, abdominal cold. It requires that the handle be shielded so that ash does not fall on the skin, and it is avoided where the patient cannot report heat, as in areas of neuropathy.