Acupuncture for Pain

Let me start my discussion of pain by describing a patient who came to see me. 

Jane came to see me for chronic knee pain.  She had been diagnosed with severe osteoarthritis of the knees.  She was in her early 50’s and had been an athlete all of her life.  She now had pain all of the time and it increased to 6-7/10 (on a scale of 1-10 with 10 requiring hospital treatment).  She experienced sharp pain when she stood up or walked up and down the stairs.  She had stopped participating in sports about a year earlier because of the pain. 

I treated her with acupuncture and herbs twice a week for five treatments.  By the fifth treatment the pain was gone from both knees except when she was using the stairs.  She said that the pain was 1/10 on the stairs.  She ended treatment and happily returned to participating in sports.

In Chinese medicine we would diagnose pain as stagnation.  The normal flow through the body is blocked.  Qi and blood flow through the vessels in the body following the normal course of the blood in the major vessels or channels of the body.  When we have pain the flow is stagnant or blocked.  Acupuncture is used to unblock the flow in the body and return the flow of qi and blood through out the body.

Acupuncture is well known as an effective treatment for pain management.  It is considered equal to morphine in effectiveness without the side effects.  Acupuncture and Chinese medicine have their origins between 3000 and 5000 years ago.  Chinese doctors were known for their powers of observation and ability to identify patterns that were used for diagnose and treat patients.  This was refined and documented over the last 3000 years.

Chinese medicine considers the whole body when diagnosing and treating patients.  It considers the mind, the body, the spirit, and a person’s life style before prescribing a treatment.

Chinese medicine was developed to maintain optimal health and peak performance. Doctors were looking for vitality, virility, longevity, fertility, and the secrets to the fountain of youth.  It is a medicine focused on wellness.

Chinese medicine is able to balance the body while treating painful conditions.  It makes the medicine very effective in treating difficult conditions.

Patients such as Jane are good examples of people who benefit from the treatment with acupuncture.  Here are some others who have benefited from my treatments.

A house painter came to me with back pain that had been a problem for over 20 years.  He had had back surgery in 2005 and was always in pain.  Medication didn’t reduce the level of pain.  By the eighth treatment he reported that the pain was almost unnoticeable.  He felt that acupuncture had restored the quality of his life.

A patient came to me complaining of significant hip pain.  She was limping and bent over like a much older woman.  She was unable to take medication that might resolve the pain.  She was caring for someone and did not want to do the hip replacement surgery that her doctors were recommending.  In four treatments her pain levels were gone at times and 2/10 with activity.  She could bend to the floor and put away her grabber.  She was beginning to walk short distances again.

A woman came in with pain in the neck and shoulders.  She had numbness and tingling in her arms and hands.  By the sixth treatment she was without pain.  The numbness and tingling were gone.  She had a history of anxiety which was also resolved during treatment.  This is a common and great side effect of treatments with Chinese medicine.

A woman came complaining of arm and leg pain and tingling from chemotherapy for cancer.  The pain was deep in her bones.  Acupuncture was able to remove the feeling of pain and tingling permanently and allowed her to return to normal activities much more quickly.

Major hospitals such as Stanford and Kaiser refer patients to acupuncture for pain.  Sports teams such as the San Francisco 49rs and China’s Olympic swim team have a team acupuncturist to work with their athletes to help them improve recovery times and reduce pain. 

I offer free initial consultations.  Call if you would like to see if acupuncture would be appropriate to treat your pain.

See what else Acupuncture is good for