Pain is a complex definition that varies from person to person, even among those with identifiable injury or illness. People with paralysis usually have neurogenic pain (this results from injury to the nerves or spinal cord in the body or the brain itself).
Treatment of chronic pain includes therapy, acupuncture, local electrical stimulation or induction, brain stimulation, and surgery. Psychotherapy, relaxation and medication therapies, biofeedback, and behavior modification can also be adopted.
Pain management aims to improve a person’s functioning so that they can work, go to school, or participate in other daily tasks. Among the most common treatments is Acupuncture. It is a Chinese practice dating back about 2,500 years.
In this, needles are used in a particular part of the body for treatment. Pain management Acupuncture may have been controversial but popular, and as it spreads, it may one day prove useful.
What Is Pain?
We all experience pain at some point or the other, it is a physical condition that can cause problems for a person physically and mentally. Pain is a bad experience related to the brain and the body in which there is damage to the tissues of the body.
People experience pain as soon as a signal travels through the nerve to your brain for interpretation. This pain varies from person to person.
As of now, there is no precise definition of pain, but from the medical point of view, pain is considered to be a sign of an internal problem. Pain is primarily a symptom or sign of some other physical problem that can range from mild to severe.
The problem of pain is different in every person, some people get headaches only after listening to loud music, while some people do not make any difference to it.
Some people start having back pain after lifting a little weight, while on the other hand, some people lift heavy things very easily and they do not have any problem with it.
By the way, the main reason for having pain in the body is such a condition due to which our body could not come to a state of rest both physically and mentally. But still, the problem of pain is mainly due to the following three reasons:-
- Any wound
- Due to surgery
- Have a medical condition, such as arthritis, cancer, or a back injury
What Is Acupuncture?
Acupuncture is a centuries-old therapy that originated in China. Today, this therapy is widely accepted and is listed in Western medicine. A 2002 review suggests that acupuncture is one of the most effective and reliable treatments for chronic low back pain relief, neck pain relief, and other deadly diseases.
Along with reducing the symptoms of back pain, neck pain, musculoskeletal pain, etc., this therapy helps to relieve pain and side effects of cancer treatment. Treatment of acupuncture revolves around the stimulation of more than one specified point on the patient’s body with multiple needles, electricity, and pressure.
This complementary therapy is also known as medical acupuncture, electro-acupuncture, sham acupuncture, and acupressure. The systematic method involves applying pressure to the body’s acupuncture points with needles to help the patient achieve optimal relaxation.
What is Pain Management?
Pain management is nothing but how a person can get rid of the pain caused or can control it. With the help of pain management, the person can get rid of the pain from permanent to even for some time.
You will get rid of the pain permanently or for some or a long time depending on the type of pain you are dealing with, whether it is acute or chronic, and how you want to get rid of the pain What technology are you using for this?
What Is The Type Of Pain?
There is no exact information about how many types of pain there can be. A person can experience pain in all parts of their body which will be completely different from another person. But at present, pain is mainly divided into two types, which are described as follows:-
Acute Pain
It makes the person aware of the injury and localized tissue injury in any part of the body. This pain starts suddenly and goes away on its own after some time after the pain is treated.
But this does not mean that the acute pain is not serious, quite often this pain can also be severe, due to which the person may have to face a lot of problems, you can take tension headaches for example.
Not only this but if the acute pain increases, then due to this the heartbeat can increase as well as the blood pressure can also be high. Acupuncture procedures or alternative medicine can help you reduce the effect of such pain.
There are mainly 3 types of acute pain:-
Visceral Pain:
This pain originates in the lining of the internal organs and cavities of the body. For example abdominal pain or chest pain.
Somatic Pain:
You may feel somatic pain or superficial pain in the soft tissues under your skin or on the skin.
Referred Pain:
In this type of pain, the pain is in another part of the body instead of the main dominant part. For example, when there is a pain in the kidneys or pancreas, pain is felt in the stomach or waist.
Chronic Pain:-
Chronic pain lasts much longer as compared to acute pain as well as often has no treatment, yes, it can provide temporary relief, but it is permanent in very rare cases. . Chronic pain can range from mild to severe and very severe.
If you are having any pain continuously for the last about 3 months or more, then it is chronic pain. Chronic pain can also be continuous, as in intermittent, or arthritis, as with migraine episodes. Recurrent pain occurs repeatedly but stops in the middle of being severe.
How Does Acupuncture Work For Pain Management?
There are certain points on the body that respond to bioelectrical impulses and also carry energy. When pressure is applied to these points, endorphins are produced, which help reduce pain and increase the flow of blood and oxygen.
It also increases the body’s resistance to disease and relaxes and heals the muscles. It also helps in relieving stress and anxiety and allows the body to find balance. Many diseases can be treated through acupuncture.
It works for back pain, fatigue, headache, stress, and loneliness. But pregnant women and persons with high blood pressure should avoid it.
What conditions does acupuncture treat?
Acupuncture treatment can treat several types of physical issues. Sometimes, people use acupuncture to relieve long-term (chronic) pain, for example:
- Knee pain relief
- Arthritis
- Knee osteoarthritis
- Muscle pain, back pain, or neck pain
- Headaches & migraines
- Menstrual cramps
- Sports injuries
Some other conditions that acupuncture treatment may help with include:
- Face pain as well as other nerve distress
- Cancer as well as side effects of cancer treatment
- Infertility
- Pregnancy discomforts
- Immune system issues
- Menopause & hot flashes
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Repetitive strain ailments as well as an overuse syndrome
How Many Acupuncture Sessions Do I Need?
An acupuncture treatment session may take around 60 minutes or so, although a few appointments may be shorter than that.
A common acupuncture treatment strategy for a single problem would normally involve 1 or 2 treatments per week.
However, the total number of pain management acupuncture treatments will completely depend on your condition’s severity and how it is being treated. In general, it is common to receive around 6 to 8 acupuncture treatments.
NOTE:
Only an acupuncture expert can tell you the exact number of acupuncture session needed to cure your problem. So, it will be better if you consult a traditional chinese medicine i.e. acupuncture expert.
When To Get Acupuncture Treatment For Pain Management?
If you see nothing else is working then you can consider trying the acupuncture treatment. However, before you start your treatment, do a little research and find out a professional acupuncturist who can guide you in the right direction.
Only a true professional acupuncturist can tell you exactly when and how to start the acupuncture treatment for pain perception. Acupuncture and Oriental medicine can even go hand in hand if your acupuncturist allows you to. Only they can tell you
BOTTOM LINE
Experts learn more about physical therapy i.e. acupuncture every year. Yet, no one understands fully how acupuncture for pain management works. Does it increase the painkilling ability of your body? Does it impact the blood flow of your body? Can it assist your body in managing depression and promote better healing? Several scientists continue to research– and debate to know detail about it.
But those experts who practice the acupuncture treatment say that is no excuse to stop doing acupuncture as people are seeing positive results with acupuncture.
Acupuncture has adequate evidence of a positive result. Just because it can’t be necessarily explained at the molecular level, does not mean you need to abandon it. Do your research to decide whether you should go for it or not. All we can say is that acupuncture for pain management is gaining popularity and showing a positive impact.
Nevertheless, just like anything else, acupuncture treatments often come with side effects. But when you choose a certified, experienced, professional acupuncturist then the risk is quite low or you may experience no side effects at all.