Acupuncture for Chronic Pain: Effective Relief and Healing

acupuncture for chronic pain

Understanding Chronic Pain

Chronic pain is on the rise, affecting 76.5 million Americans, with one-third experiencing disabling pain. Unfortunately, most people are not getting relief from their pain. The usual route that most people in the States with chronic pain go through is to see their doctor, and the typical reaction is to prescribe pain pills and then see how that works. However, acupuncture for chronic pain offers a holistic and effective alternative.

Benefits of Acupuncture for Chronic Pain

When painkillers or cortisol shots stop providing relief, the next step often considered is surgery. At that point, most people are tired of being in pain and will try almost anything to feel some relief. Unfortunately, these surgeries rarely provide the kind of relief from chronic pain that patients hope for.

When surgery fails to alleviate chronic pain, many people begin to look for alternative solutions. Some will give up, but others start to think outside the box and search the internet for pain relief. Often, a friend will recommend acupuncture for chronic pain, sharing their own success stories.

This starts the chain reaction of the “Ah ha” moment, leading to the burning question: can acupuncture help me too?

In my experience as an acupuncturist, I have had numerous people say, “I wish I had tried acupuncture before surgery for my shoulder pain, lower back pain, knee pain, elbow pain, neck pain, etc., because it’s helping the pain even after surgery.”

They begin to ponder if they needed the surgery in the first place. At this point, I must explain that sometimes surgery is necessary, and you should have your doctor check for muscle tears or physical damage that acupuncture may not be able to completely address.

Acupuncture, unfortunately, has a stigma that needles are scary and therefore the procedure will be painful. This is typically far from reality, as the needles are hair-thin and more like a pin than a hypodermic needle, which has a hollow tip. I believe you can fit around 16 acupuncture needles inside the opening of a hypodermic needle.

That is a thin needle! The reason why hypodermic needles hurt when inserted into the skin is because there is a hollow tip that actually takes out a small chunk of tissue from the body. That is why shots are painful. Acupuncture needles do not have hollow tips, so the insertion is much smoother. The most that should be felt is a slight pinch or a dull ache for a few seconds, or no sensation at all. This seems like a minor price to pay for decreasing the chronic pain that most people endure for years.

One of the most prominent types of chronic pain that I see is shoulder pain. This is also one of my favorite issues to work on because I usually can get very good results. The methodology I take is atypical to most acupuncturists.

While most practitioners will go directly into the shoulder using electrostimulation or cupping, I will insert needles in the lower leg and ankle area of both legs. After inserting several needles, I have the patient move the shoulder, trying to elicit the pain. After doing this several times, the pain level has dropped 40-60%.

On occasion, I have had people walk out the door with their chronic pain all gone! What most people reading this must realize is that this first treatment is great and helps with the pain, but if you have had a pain problem for many years, it took a long time to get to that point, and it’s going to take some time to get rid of the pain as well. Also, after the first treatment, the pain will usually start to inch its way back in about 2-4 days.

The idea is to come back for another treatment before the pain returns to the same level it was before the first treatment. I usually recommend 2-3 sessions for the first 2-3 weeks, then reassess the pain level. Typically, after 5 sessions, the pain levels have dropped 50-75% and remain at those levels without getting worse. Usually, by the third or fourth week, the level of treatment decreases to once a week with noticeable pain relief.

Eventually, patients reach the point of not needing acupuncture except for maintenance if desired. Most enjoy coming back because it helps with stress relief as well. This method also works the same way for neck pain, lower back pain, arthritis, migraines, knee pain, and elbow pain. Getting pain relief is all about being diligent and giving acupuncture a chance to help facilitate healing.

Besides acupuncture, there are several things that people with chronic pain can do to relieve inflammation. Reducing or eliminating sugar, alcohol, dairy (all types), grains, and caffeine can help. Taking out all of these at one time may be impossible, so try to eliminate one at a time.

Eliminate that item for 21 days, then reintroduce the food to your diet and see how your body reacts. If the pain decreased during that time and worsened when you reintroduced the item, consider eliminating that food for good. Do this with all the items on the list.

Lastly, there are several foods you could add to your diet that help reduce inflammation and chronic pain. Ginger, turmeric (curcumin), and cayenne are great options. Ginger is excellent for stomach issues and is anti-inflammatory, which reduces pain. Turmeric is beneficial for osteoarthritis pain and increases mobility. Cayenne pepper also alleviates pain in general.

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