08/14/2025
Chronic pain and acute pain are fundamentally different both in cause and in how they affect the brain. Acute pain is the body’s immediate warning signal—triggered by injury, inflammation, or illness—and usually resolves once healing occurs. Chronic pain, however, persists beyond three months and often outlasts the original injury. Research using functional MRI has shown that while acute pain primarily activates the brain’s sensory pathways, chronic pain alters brain structure and function over time, engaging regions linked to emotion, memory, and decision-making such as the prefrontal cortex and amygdala. This “rewiring” can amplify pain perception, heighten stress responses, and contribute to mood disorders.
At Anchor Point Acupuncture, we have uniquely designed our treatment plans addressing these differences by tailoring strategies to each pain type. For acute pain, we focus on accelerating the body’s natural healing, reducing inflammation and restore function quickly. For chronic pain, our approach is more comprehensive—combining acupuncture’s neuroregulatory effects with therapies that help retrain the brain’s pain pathways, reduce central sensitization, and improve emotional resilience. This science-informed method helps patients break the cycle of pain, restore mobility, and reclaim quality of life. We are here to get your life back. Schedule your consult today 301-798-5764 or online at
Anchor Point Acupuncture is said to be the best acupuncture practice in the Northern Potomac Rockville area. We focus on integrative, functional medicine combined with traditional acupuncture. Our patients see results. We treat inflammation, sports injuries, fertility, anxiety and depression, neurop...
