Acupuncture & Pain Management

Acupuncture is an effective form of treatment for certain acute and chronic pain.  In terms of pain control, the effects of Chinese herbal and acupuncture treatment include:

• Musculoskeletal disorders such as head, neck, shoulder, arm, back, knee and leg pain
• Headaches and migraines
• Whiplash injury
• Arthritis
• Sciatica
• Acute injury-related pain: sprains, strains, muscle cramps, muscle and ligament tears
• Post-surgical pain

 

The number of treatments and the length of therapy that a patient may receive are based on many factors including the patient's health, age and personal contribution to the therapy. Other deciding factors include the severity and longevity of the pain and the patient's response to therapy. The course of treatment will be determined during the first few acupuncture sessions.

How Does Acupuncture Relieve Pain?
There are several ways that Acupuncture is able to relieve pain and promote healing.  First, Acupuncture is able to speed the healing process by increasing collateral blood circulation. Second, Acupuncture and herbal formulas have been shown to relieve pain and promote healing by reducing inflammation and edema and relaxing skeletal muscles.  Finally, biomedical studies have shown that Acupuncture reduces pain by stimulating secretions of endorphins (the body’s own pain-killers) and neurotransmitters such as serotonin and noradrenalin.