02/18/2022
Researchers estimate that 50 million Americans suffer from chronic pain. Many of these people wake up each day without reliable relief. But whether they're suffering from headaches, neck and back pain or joint pain, one strategy many people may not consider is acupuncture. The two most common things we see in my clinic are hormone issues and chronic pain. In medical terms, chronic pain is any pain that lasts for more than three months. Chronic pain can occur anywhere in the body, but the main symptoms we see clinically are headache, neck and back pain, joint pain, neuralgia, abdominal pain and pain related to the menstrual cycle.
What are the causes of chronic pain? Chronic pain can have many causes, many of which cannot be effectively treated with typical Western medicine methods. Take joint pain, for example. Bones are really only connected to each other by muscles, connective tissue and tendons. Joint pain is usually caused by tight soft tissue, which puts a lot of pressure on the joint. Acupuncture can help treat tension, and doctors may prescribe muscle relaxants or physical therapy, neither of which really addresses the tension and tightness in the tissues that cause pain. But acupuncture can directly target it.
Actually you can easily use acupuncture to re-regulate the soft tissue tension to reduce the strain on the joints. This usually relieves pain. It can even be used to treat fibromyalgia. Acupuncture has succeeded where methods such as medication have failed because it is a more personalized approach.
The best part is that once people begin to experience relief from pain, countless unexpected benefits may follow. Sleep, anxiety, depression, energy levels and even weight gain are all linked to pain levels. Pain can make those symptoms worse, but once the pain is relieved, struggles like sleep deprivation, depression and fatigue often go away.
