Acupuncture has long been known for its amazing ability to treat pain. Whether it is a recent sports injury or chronic degenerative pain syndrome, acupuncture can often help.

Most other therapies for pain simply attempt to “cover up” or muffle the pain, acupuncture’s intent is not only to reduce or relieve pain, but to rekindle or speed up the healing process. Researchers see that when someone gets acupuncture several things occur;

1. Natural pain-relieving chemicals called endorphins are released by the brain,
2. Muscles and blood vessels relax. This allows…
3. Circulation to improve, which brings fresh blood to enter the area and allow healing and…
4. Stops spasticity and…
5. Allows inflammation and swelling to decrease.
6. It also triggers brain hormones such as dopamine and serotonin and cortisol to rebalance which further relieves tension and emotional distress.

 

From a Chinese Medicine view of the body, whenever there is pain or dysfunction of any kind, it is simply because the energy flow in the area is stuck or stagnate. When there is a blockage in the circulatory flow, function cannot be normal. This is very similar to having a kink or blockage in your garden’s water hose; if the water flow is compromised, the garden will wilt and suffer. If we are simply able to un-kink the water hose and reestablish proper flow, the garden gets the water it needs and Mother Nature will do the rest to give us a beautiful garden.

Acupuncture’s approach to pain is much like that; Whenever there is pain, it is simply because of a local obstruction in the energy flow of the body. Whether that blockage is due to an injury, slow wear and tear on the joints (which end up creating structural problems) or because there is simply not enough “pressure” in the pipes to “push” the energy throughout the body, acupuncture can address these issue.

There are copious studies showing the effectiveness of acupuncture in treating a wide range of pain related problems;

• Back and Neck Pain
• Arthritis joint pain anywhere
• Degenerative Spinal Disease
• Tendonitis’s or the knee, shoulder, wrist
• Carpel Tunnel Syndrome
• Plantar Fasciitis of the foot
• Fibromyalgia
• Migraine Headaches
• Menstrual Pain
• Injuries of all sorts
• Cancer Pain

 

How Many Treatments Will I Need?

Of course, this varies based on the individual. Everyone responds differently. In general, I suggest everyone start with an initial “trial run” of 3 sessions. Because only after three sessions can we best prognose how well you, the individual, are responding.

From the response rate after those three sessions can be best predict the full extent of your course of treatment needed. For example, for someone with chronic lower back pain and sciatic pain, they may need 3 sessions or 12 sessions to experience significant relief. While there is no way to tell initially how well someone will respond before we begin, after three sessions, we always have a very good idea. Based on how much progress we see after those initial three sessions, we can predict whether we are “25% of the way there” or “half way there” or even “90% finished already”.

The other reason I suggest starting with three sessions is because from my observations over the years, if someone shows no sign of improvement after three sessions, there is little change of seeing improvement even after several more visits. This gives us an early indicator that acupuncture will not be effective so it may be best to reconsider continuing acupuncture therapy.

 

How Often Do I Have To Come?

In general, acute pain can be treated successfully within just a short sessions of treatments grouped close together; sort of like physical therapy. Three times per week is ideal for someone ready to get out of pain quickly. For long standing chronic pain, I suggest starting with the three times per week frequently, but then taper off into a less frequent, but more extended course of treatment. Once a week visits can sometimes work, but it is not the ideal frequency and it unnecessarily delays the benefits of acupuncture.

 

How else will acupuncture help me deal with my pain?

One of the most common “side effects” of acupuncture is the quite noticeable relaxing effect it has on people. Even though we may be focusing on a certain pain, it is impossible not to improve the function of the entire body with acupuncture. Typically people also find that their stress level goes down, their sleep improves, their digestion improves, their tolerance and ability to handle stress improves, etc. All of these things improve a person’s perception of pain.