Acupuncture is a procedure of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and thus belongs to the oldest form of complementary medicine. It is the therapeutic treatment by needle pricks and by the so-called moxibustion (heating of special acupuncture points). In the treatment of pain, acupuncture draws on a wealth of experience and is becoming increasingly popular, especially in Western industrialized countries. Acupuncture is often used when pain syndromes cannot be attributed to medically provable causes and both patients and physicians see the procedure as a last effective option for pain therapy. Today, the effectiveness of acupuncture in pain management for certain medical conditions has been proven by several studies.
Indications (areas of application)
- Arthrosis (joint wear) – especially gonarthrosis (knee joint arthrosis).
- Cephalgia (headache) – especially migraine and tension headache.
- Chronic back pain
- Degenerative spinal diseases
- Fibromyalgia (fibromyalgia syndrome)
- Myofascial pain – pain in a single muscle or muscle group that occurs spontaneously or when a trigger point is stimulated.
- Myoarthropathy – disease of a joint and associated muscles.
- Radicular pain or neuralgia – pain caused by irritation of a nerve root or a specific nerve.
- Pain with significant psychosomatic elements
- Somatoform pain disorder – persistent pain whose cause cannot be fully explained
- Tumor pain
- Visceral pain (pain in the viscera)
- Central pain – pain that originates in the central nervous system (brain, spinal cord), and is caused by damage to nerve cells.
The procedure
Especially in the treatment of chronic pain conditions, Western medicine reaches its limits. Often pain patients are left alone with their complaints, because the cause is not comprehensible from the outside. Acupuncture pursues or achieves the following goals in pain therapy:
- Pain relief up to the complete resolution of the pain.
- Improvement in the patient’s ability to cope with pain.
- Improving the patient’s daily living skills
- Reduction of the pain level
- Balancing the emotional tension
- Raising the life energy
- Improving the quality of life
- If necessary, reduction of pain medication
From the perspective of Western medicine, the mechanism of action of the analgesic effect of acupuncture lies in the release of certain neurotransmitters during and after treatment, these include: Endorphins, serotonin, norepinephrine, substance P, CGRP, oxytocin and many other substances that have a modulating effect on pain mechanisms. Furthermore, endogenous pain inhibitory systems, so-called spinal and supraspinal antinociceptive inhibitory systems, are stimulated. This mechanism and the activation of specific brain areas have a positive effect on pain perception. Another mechanism is the concept of myofascial trigger points. Trigger points are often present in muscular tension and skeletal system disorders, and their stimulation can directly trigger pain. These points can be treated directly by acupuncture. Traditional Chinese medicine assumes that the energetic pathways of the organism connect the acupuncture points with specific organs and body structures. The organs or the body structures can be specifically influenced and treated by acupuncture in the case of pain conditions. According to the ideas of Chinese medicine, pain is caused by an interruption in the circulation of Qi. Qi or Chi is the ideal basis of TCM and represents a kind of life energy. According to this theory, acupuncture reactivates qi and blood circulation and restores the balance between yin and yang. A therapeutic cycle should include 10-15 sessions.
Benefits
Acupuncture in pain management is a useful and effective procedure. Especially in the treatment of chronic pain or pain syndromes without an identifiable cause, acupuncture makes a valuable contribution.
