15/01/2024
Wow.
Just used acupuncture for a poorly healing rib fracture. 6 weeks and still painful.
I used the huaitiaojiao points for one main reason:
I did not want to stick a needle into a poorly healing fracture... imagine if it got infected?!
Saying that, in orthopedic practice, they routinely inject local aneasthetics into fractures, they are called haematoma blocks. Apparently infections never occur.
Western docs operate to different standards than us, though. For starters, they don't seem overly oncerned about killing their patients... certainly on a systemic level anyway
So, I used the huaitijiao (or close to them) and immediate, like immediate, reduction in tenderness. And the rib fracture appeared to set better. And the patient reported less pain on inspiration.
So, result. I would never have expected it. Even as an Emergency doctor who has used acupuncture, successfully, in the ED.