Acupuncture for painful injuries

MANY OF us have suffered from some muscle,tendon or ligament injury at some point in our lives, whether from a 'crick neck', a misstep while walking, causing a twisted ankle, or you felt ambitious during theexecution or some activity or sport which resulted in injury. In many cases, rest will remedy the resulting discomfort. In others, a more focused intervention is necessary, especially if the injury prevents normal mobility and causes great discomfort.

In addition to the arsenal of painkillers, anti-inflammatory medications, liniments, physiotherapy and chiropractic adjustments available, acupuncture often offers relief for a variety of injuries. Common injuries include injury to the lower back, knee, ankle, neck and shoulder blade. In any of these treatments, acupuncture points are often selected, which are in the area of pain and injury, along with other points on the body, which are outside of the area of the pain, to improve qi and blood flow and relieve obstruction at the injured site.

LOW BACK INJURY

In addressing any pain along the back, the location and trajectory of the pain is first clearly identified. Once this is done, it can bedetermined which acupuncture meridian/pathway the pain falls on. Very thin acupuncture needles are then gently inserted at acupuncture points local to the area of pain.

Other points needled include:

Xi-Cleft Points: Xi-Cleft points occur on all the primary acupuncture meridians and areneedled and stimulated for pain, which occurs anywhere along the path of the meridian.

Du Mai and Hua To Points: In the case of pain directly along the spine, points are selected from the Du Mai meridian with points located between the spinal vertebrae. Additionally, Hua To points, which run immediately alongside the spine, are also needled.

KNEE INJURY

Once again, acupuncture points in the area of the pain are selected along with the xi-cleft point on the related meridian/pathway.

Primary acupuncture knee points include:

ST.35 and Xiyan: located on either side of the patella/kneecap

K.10: found on the inner knee at the end of the crease formed when the knee is bent

BL.40: located at the centre of the back of the knee

ELECTRICAL STIMULATION

Electrical stimulation involves the application of a mild charge to the tips of an inserted acupuncture needle in order to gently stimulate and increase the pain-relieving effect of the acupuncturestimulation.

MOXIBUSTION

In cases where there is swelling in or near the joint, moxibustion isusually applied. Moxibustion is the process of applying the 'moxa' herb to the head of the acupuncture needle and allowing it to burn in order to gently warm the acupuncture point to assist in pain relief.

COURSE OF TREATMENT

Since the acupuncture needles are very thin, there is often minimal to no discomfort during the procedure.

The number of acupuncture treatments needed will depend on the severity of the injury. Improvement is usually noticed within the first week of treatment, which may be done once or twice weekly, usually accompanying a prescription for rest.

Dr Tracey-Ann Brown is anoriental medicine practitioner, herbalist and doctor ofacupuncture; email: yourhealth@gleanerjm.com