If you suffer from muscle pain, it can interfere significantly with your ability to enjoy life. Fortunately, there is a time-proven natural pain therapy that both relaxing and effective.
Acupuncture has been used for thousands of years to treat health issues, muscle pain included. Needles are applied on specific points on the body to correct imbalances between the various organs and strengthen the flow of life energy, or Qi. More recently, acupuncture has been hailed as an effective treatment for chronic muscle tension and pain.
How Does Acupuncture Treat Pain?
According to traditional Chinese medicine, a vital energy called Qi flows through your body along pathways called meridians. When it is blocked or otherwise interrupted, you may experience illness, pain, or impaired ability to function. Acupuncture uses hair-thin and sterile needles to stimulate specific points known as ‘acupoints’ and release the blocked qi so that pain relief becomes possible. The treatment has relieved a variety of neuromuscular issues that have failed to respond to other pain remedies. Examples include:
- Temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ)
- Regular and migraine headaches
- Musculoskeletal pain
- Fibromyalgia
- Sciatica
Another way that acupuncture relieves muscle pain is that when the needle is inserted into your body, you experience a release of natural chemicals called endorphins. Known as the body’s natural painkillers, they help you feel relaxed and mobile. This natural way of reducing discomfort often results in people who are currently on pain medication being able to reduce their dose or stop taking it entirely.
Endorphin release does more than simply mask pain. The resulting relief helps you to relax so that the muscle tension that contributes to your pain subsides. If your pain is caused by a tight muscle or tissue-like fascia sticking to muscles, placing a needle into the trigger point can bring about improvement.
How is Acupuncture Performed?
Acupuncture today is similar to the way it was practiced in ancient China, although the needles used by modern practitioners are stainless steel, sterile, and used on only one patient.
A treatment for muscle pain often begins with the acupuncturist asking you to recreate the painful condition so that they can diagnose and alleviate the problem. They will then insert a needle into a particular acupuncture point or in the precise location of your pain, which is often referred to as an ‘ashi’ point. After the needles are placed and stimulated, they remain in place for anywhere from a few minutes to up to 20 minutes. When you have a series of treatments, the acupuncturist often uses different combinations of needling techniques and placement points to encourage healing as you gradually improve.
Acupuncture has so many benefits for those living with pain. Treatment is swift, pain-free and, according to many patients, relaxing. If you have been living with muscle pain and would like to learn what acupuncture can do for your condition, please contact us for a consultation today.
