There are many effective pain treatment methods and chronic pain medications for pain relief. We could safely say that everyone has at some point taken a pain relieving medication or anesthesia treatment. These kinds of acute pain treatments and chronic pain medications usually work by relieving pain temporarily while the natural healing process takes care of the actual painful symptom.
Acupuncture treatment is a very powerful treatment for pain. It works by stimulating the flow of the Qi in the area being treated. In Traditional Eastern Medicine (TCM and TEM) theory, pain is caused by an obstruction in the flow of Qi. Thus by stimulating the Qi of a specific painful area, we are able to elevate the pain. In western terminology, we can say that acupuncture therapy and treatment raises endorphin levels, thus diminishes the nerve system’s pain response.
Although scientific researches are still in the midst of trying to successfully explain the mechanism behind acupuncture, Qi treatments and other alternative pain treatment methods, there are vast number of studies that have already found meaningful effectiveness of acupuncture for acute pain and chronic pain syndromes and symptoms.
Of course, just because it hasn’t been scientifically proven yet does not mean it is not effective. As most patients who have already done acupuncture and acupressure treatments for low back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, migraines and chronic headaches might have experienced, it is a superior way of treating pain compared to conventional pain therapies like just consuming effective pain killers, NSAIDS and effective analgesics.
Anatomically, acupuncture needles can reach directly into the specific muscle fiber that has formed a knot, a trigger point (TrP), that could be said is a cause of pain in trigger point acupuncture styles. Deep tissue massage and Tuina uses fingers to press down deep and ease out the tension of that point. In trigger point acupuncture treatment, or muscle acupuncture, we use very thin needles, needles that are usually 10 times thinner than a usual injection needle, to insert it directly into the knotted muscle fiber and cause miniscule injury to that trigger point. The miniscule injured muscle is now triggered into an inflammatory recovery mode thus removing the knotted tension from the painful muscle simultaneously.
Acupuncture is a superior way of treatment, compared to conventional pain killers and analgesics, since it also stimulates the healing process of the pain’s origin itself, thus fundamentally treating pain. Also conventional medicine require a continual increase of dosage to maintain the desired effect, while acupuncture can be applied how many times as necessary without the toxicity of the medication.
Acupuncture is used to treat many different diseases, disorders and pain conditions. Common ailments that respond well to acupuncture include:
At Global Pain & Spine Clinic, our acupuncturists combine this ancient wisdom with our modern health care expertise, to provide minimally obtrusive, highly effective solutions to your health care needs.
Just as the Western medical doctor monitors and removes blockages of the arteries, our acupuncturists assess the flow and distribution of your "vital energy", removing nergetic blockages within its pathways, known as "meridians and channels". Much like a newly cleared artery restores a system's blood flow, removing energetic blockages restores your energetic pathways, returning you to a state of health and "energetic balance", while eliminating a whole gamut of physical and psychological symptoms.
By stimulating certain areas along these "meridians", our acupuncturists remove the root causes of imbalance, with tremendous results. Traditionally, acupuncturists stimulated these areas called "acupoints" using fine, slender needles. At Global Pain & Spine Clinic, recognize the benefits of incorporating many additional forms of stimulation such as herbs, electrical stimulation, magnets and lasers, and sound and infrared therapy. While our techniques have become more sophisticated, our aim remains the same: to adjust your "vital energy" to give your body the support it needs during its own healing processes.