Acupuncture for Pain Management

When someone has suffered with pain for six months or greater, the pain is considered a chronic problem. That does not mean the problem is here to stay. However, chronic pain can overly sensitize the sympathetic nervous system, requiring a different approach than if the pain is acute or sub-acute.  While every patient is unique, in general, chronic patients benefit more from superficial needling, and treatments and other modalities that focus on calming the sympathetic nervous system.  When a provider of Acupuncture treats a chronic pain patient the same as an acute patient, he or she risks creating noxious responses that may at least temporarily exacerbate the patient’s condition.

Thus, while relief of pain is always the ultimate goal, Atlanta Restorative Acupuncture follows an appropriate and gentle process of pain management, focused on the special needs of chronic pain patients.   The treatment plan for a chronic patient typically involves 12 or more Acupuncture visits, customized botanical formulas if necessary, appropriate supplements, and optional instruction in an effortless meditation technique, Primordial Sound Meditation, to help with stress management, an often neglected, but crucial component of pain management. These components, taken together, de-sensitize the chronic patient’s overly sensitive sympathetic nervous system, relieve pain, and restore function.

Perfusion Treatment is key for relief of chronic pain

Because chronic pain signals to the midbrain to reduce blood blow to an area of long-term discomfort, it is essential to restore proper blood flow.  We need to send a signal to the midbrain, to remind it to send highly oxygenated blood to areas of discomfort and reduced function.  We do that via both local and distal Acupuncture, but a crucial tool in that effort is the Perfusion Treatment.  Through the latter Acupuncture technique, we gently stimulate the spinal segments that house the nerves that control the flow of blood.  Different spinal segments house nerves that control flow of blood to different parts of the body, the upper extremities, the digestive system, and the lower extremities. It perfuses an area that lacks highly oxygenated blood, helping to restore healthy circulation.  Healthy blood flow in fact, is the main vehicle for the body’s internal pain relieving traveling pharmacy.

How does acupuncture help pain management?

It involves stimulating sensory nerves under the skin and in the muscles. This results in the body producing natural substances, such as pain–relieving endorphins. It’s likely that these naturally released substances are responsible for the beneficial effects experienced with acupuncture.

Is Acupuncture good for pain relief?

According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), a number of studies suggest that acupuncture works particularly well on chronic pain such as back and neck pain; osteoarthritis/knee pain; and headache. It often reduces the incidence and severity of tension headaches and may prevent migraines