How are pain complaints resolved

Pain complaints can be excellently resolved by the acupuncturist. How? We can explain this in two ways. The first is the age-old perspective according to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the second is the modern Western explanation.

Pain Management in Traditional Chinese Medicine
In the acupuncture practice, more than 50% of all visitors have a pain complaint. There are various types of pain complaints: for example, the pain that arises after straining the hamstring is a completely different condition than an acute knee inflammation or pain in the Achilles tendon. Therefore, the acupuncturist first asks questions about the nature, location, and duration of the pain. This information is necessary to understand the origin of the pain complaint. For example, lower back pains are often due to problems with kidney energy, while the cause of flank pain usually lies with the liver or gallbladder.

Cause of Pain According to TCM
In TCM, pain is often attributed to the stagnation or accumulation of Qi (energy). For example, if a patient has an inflamed joint, the acupuncturist tries to resolve the inflammation by placing needles. These needles remove the stagnation of Qi and promote the free flow of energy. In addition, the acupuncturist will strengthen other systems, such as organ systems, to prevent certain complaints from recurring.

Modern Western Explanation
Today we know that our body transmits signals through a complex structure of nerve pathways. There are nerves that perceive temperature differences, convey pressure and touch, or transmit pain. We also know that these nerve structures influence each other. Think of the automatic rubbing response when you bump your elbow: by rubbing, it seems like you are pushing away the sensation of pain. These mechanisms are so powerful and effective that even anesthesiologists gratefully use them during surgeries to combat patient pain. And with success: it has been proven that a patient treated in this way needs 80% less morphine.

Enkefaline
The pain signals that C-fibers carry from the body to the brain are influenced by sensory nerves (A-fibers). The acupuncturist stimulates these sensory nerves. As a result, they produce a numbing substance: enkephalin. This is a type of endorphin that belongs to the morphine group.
The difference between morphine and enkephalin is that morphine alleviates pain, while enkephalin works both to increase pain threshold and to reduce inflammation.
Source: Dr. H.G. Kho, The Mechanisms of Acupuncture Analgesia: Review and Update. American Journal of Acupuncture, 1997; 25(4): pp 261-281.

door: Jan Joost Kolsteeg NVA acupuncturist