How Does Acupuncture Treat Pain?

In the United States, acupuncture is probably most famous for its ability to relieve pain. Numerous scientific studies have shown that acupuncture can be helpful for both acute and chronic pain, and pain is the most common clinical issue that people seek acupuncture for.

So, why is acupuncture so good at treating pain? Various studies examining the physical and biochemical processes that occur when acupuncture needles are inserted have led to several theories about what exactly is happening in our bodies during an acupuncture treatment. While these studies offer a lot of valuable information, if you ask an acupuncturist why acupuncture works to treat pain, the answer is actually extremely simple!

A Brief Introduction To Channel Theory

One of the key concepts of traditional Chinese medical theory is that there is a system of channels (or meridians) that integrate the body as a whole. From head to toe, the channel system connects every part of the body, allowing for communication between different parts of the body through the movement of qi, blood, and body fluids along channel pathways.

In many ways, the channel system is similar to a system of highways and roads. There are large primary channels that can be imagined as interstates or freeways in the body. These channels provide direct and speedy connections between different parts of the body. They pass through major organs in the same way that highways pass through large cities, giving access to these parts of the body. The primary channels provide the main pathway for energy and nourishment to travel through the body.

There are also smaller secondary channels. Much like local streets and roads that allow you to drive to your home, the grocery store, or your office, these smaller vessels branch from the primary channels and provide a pathway for nourishment and energy to reach every part of the body.

In a healthy person, qi, blood, and body fluids circulate continuously and freely through the channels, providing what is needed to different parts of the body efficiently.

Pain in TCM Theory

So, what happens if the channel system becomes blocked somewhere for any reason? Think about how you feel when stuck in rush hour traffic or in a hour-long slowdown due to road construction or an accident. You might feel tense or irritable. Your legs or backside might start to hurt from sitting for too long, and you might even start to get a headache. In other words, blockages cause pain.

While roads become blocked with cars, channels become obstructed with the same substances that should normally flow through them: qi, blood, and body fluids. These obstructions (or stagnations) can be caused by a number of things. One of the most common causes of blockage in a channel is physical trauma. Accidents, injuries, overuse, and even surgery can all cause physical obstructions to channels in the form of bruises, swelling, damaged tissue, and scarring.

Much like a car accident snarls up traffic on the roadways around it, these physical blockages can create problems and pain at the site of injury and in the channel on either side of the injury. On the one hand, as qi, blood, and body fluids back up behind the blockage, unable to get around the injury, they can create sensations of pain because there is too much substance filling that part of the channel. When this occurs, your acupuncturist may diagnose you with a localized stagnation of qi, blood, or body fluids, which is a condition of excess.

At the same time, on the other side of the blockage, there will be a relative lack of qi, blood, and body fluids. This can also cause pain, because the body tissues served by the affected channel are now cut off from energy and nourishment. If you’ve ever sat too long in a weird position and had an arm or leg “fall asleep,” you can easily understand how this might cause some serious discomfort. When this situation occurs, your acupuncturist might diagnose you with a localized deficiency of qi, blood, and/or body fluids.

Physical trauma is not the only cause of pain in TCM theory. Anything that causes qi, blood, and body fluids to stop moving freely can be a source of pain — a few common examples include stress and cold. Intense emotions, especially stress, can cause movement in the channels to become sluggish or blocked up. Extreme cold temperatures can also cause body tissues to constrict, obstructing the movement of qi and blood (yes, this is why your acupuncturist is so against putting ice on an injury).

Treating Pain with Acupuncture

Now that we understand how TCM views pain, it’s easy to understand why acupuncture is such an effective treatment. Your acupuncturist will evaluate which channel or channels are obstructed, and try to determine if the pain is due to a condition of excess or deficiency. Acupuncture needles are then inserted directly into channels, helping to clear blockages and re-establish the proper flow of qi, blood, and body fluids, much like a tow truck clearing away an accident to re-open a road.

Since the channel system integrates the entire body, it is not always necessary to needle directly into an injured or painful area. In some cases, it can be more effective to “redirect traffic” to help clear blockages by inserting needles into other channels or parts of the body than the painful area. You can think of this as creating a detour to allow road crews to repair a damaged section of road.

In some cases, especially when an injury is fairly acute and there is no underlying cause of channel blockage, pain can be resolved in only a few treatments. In other cases, it may take longer to resolve the pain, such as when the pain has become chronic, when the pain is due to overuse or repetitive injury, or when the pain has an underlying cause such as ongoing high stress.

NOTE: This blog is meant for educational purposes only — please don’t try to diagnose yourself using it! If you have a medical issue, please seek guidance and treatment from a licensed medical professional.

© 2019 Alli Urbanik Kimmel