What is Acupuncture and How Does It Treat Pain Conditions?

When you think of acupuncture, you may have a mental image of needles going into someone’s skin. This is where most people’s knowledge of the practice ends. Although acupuncture has a long history in traditional Chinese medicine, people are often confused about what the practice actually involves and how it works. Research into acupuncture has grown at an increasing rate over the last two decades, with over 13,000 studies in 60 different countries. Now, more than ever, acupuncture is being understood and applied to help eliminate pain and even treat other health conditions holistically. 

What is Acupuncture?

Acupuncture is a key component of traditional Chinese medicine that is used to relieve and treat symptoms and health conditions. The process involves an acupuncturist inserting thin steel needles into specific points in the body. These acupoints are specifically chosen to stimulate the nerves, connective tissue, and muscles. The needles encourage the body to send blood and oxygen to the injured area, while also signaling the brain to release natural pain killers.

Although acupuncture comes from traditional Chinese medicine, which focuses on qi, or energy, thousands of scientific studies have proven why acupuncture works in more Western terminology. As a result, acupuncture has become more popular and accepted around the world. In fact, a recent review of clinical recommendations from national health guidelines, government health institutions, and medical specialty groups in Europe, North America, and Australasia have proven worldwide acceptance of acupuncture. The review found that, over a 27 year period, there were 2189 positive recommendations for acupuncture to treat over 200 health problems.

How Does Acupuncture Work?

Pain is the result of the nervous system, which has several parts and levels. It includes the peripheral nerves, spinal cord, and brain. You can experience pain from the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord) or the peripheral nervous system (nerves that spread throughout the rest of the body). 

Acupuncture can address neuropathic, or nerve pain, coming from these areas. Neuropathic pain is caused by the dysfunction or damage of one or more nerves. Nerve fibers in an injured area can send the wrong signals to pain centers or they may not send a strong enough signal to the brain to release natural painkillers. When an acupuncturist inserts needles into the proper acupoints, they stimulate the nerves in the body, which in turn stimulates the central nervous system. As a result, the central nervous system releases chemicals into the muscles, spinal cord, and brain. In essence, acupuncture establishes a proper proprioceptive signal to the brain, which makes the brain release its natural painkillers, called enkephalins. Acupuncture also improves blood and oxygen circulation to the injured area, which promotes healing in the tissue. This means that both the pain and the injury itself can be treated with acupuncture.

In a review of clinical studies, it was found that there could be several neurobiological mechanisms that explain the effectiveness of acupuncture. Many studies of modern acupuncture support the concept that acupuncture stimulates the secretion of the endogenous opioid endorphin. If this is true, acupuncture may also be able to activate other neural pathways and trigger the secretion of other neurotransmitters. Put simply, the studies show that acupuncture works by triggering nerves throughout the body to send signals to the brain.

How Does Acupuncture Treat Pain Conditions and Health Conditions?

Pain is often caused by musculoskeletal conditions, which are related to the muscles, joints, ligaments, tendons, and bones. Studies propose that acupuncture treats musculoskeletal conditions by creating micro-injuries. These micro-injuries, which are caused by the thin needles, cause the release of neuropeptides, which then cause the dilation of blood vessels. As a result, the area experiences increased blood circulation, which facilitates healing.

Acupuncture may be effective at restoring diseased nerves for the same reason. Studies of facial nerve palsy have shown that acupuncture effectively treats the disorder. In the studies, the acupuncture points correspond to the anatomic locations of branches of the diseased nerve. They improve blood flow to the area and accelerate the metabolism, which may be why acupuncture is able to restore the nerves to normal health and reduce pain.

While acupuncture is best known for treating pain conditions, it is also used to treat many health issues. The reasons why acupuncture works for each condition can vary. For example, acupuncture may help treat: 

●      Gastric and cardiovascular conditions by triggering a somatic autonomic reflex.

●      Cravings and poor emotional states by changing the levels of neurotransmitters, like dopamine and serotonin. This is why it is sometimes used to help people stop smoking. 

●      Headaches and head pain by impacting pain-modulating neurotransmitters, like substance P and met-enkephalin along the nociceptive pathway. 

●      Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) by reducing the release of luteinizing hormone via the hypothalamus-pituitary axis.

Ultimately, most of the studies show that acupuncture works thanks to neurobiological mechanisms. In other words, the needles are inserted at certain places in the body to trigger various nerve points. These points then send signals to the central nervous system which releases chemicals to correct the issue.

Why choose Sports Acupuncturist?

Evidence continues to mount in support of acupuncture for pain conditions, as well as other health issues. At Sports Acupuncturist in Northbrook, we focus on first eliminating pain, then reducing the risk of injury and improving mobility. We practice acupuncture because of its ability to improve chronic and acute pain conditions, as well as correct muscle imbalances which can reduce the risk of injury. This means we can also improve your range of motion and improve your performance. When treating pain or injury in one area, the entire body must be addressed. We take a holistic, whole-body approach so that we treat musculoskeletal conditions as well as internal conditions. 

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