Management of pain with acupuncture is an old tradition treatment method in China used for thousands of years. Though Acupuncture is very effective in pain treatment, explanation of its mechanism mainly is based on the Channel theory of Chinese Medicine. It is believed that pain is the result of obstruction of the energy flowing channel. The obstruction can be reopened by the stimulation of needles. By reviewing the physiology, we know that sharp and brief stimulation, such as pain impulse, is transmitted through A-delta fiber with a slow velocity. Dull and prolonged stimulation, such as acupuncture needling, is transmitted through C-fiber with a faster velocity. Pain is a dull and prolonged stimulate and needling is a sharp and brief stimulate. Since the velocity of transmission of the acupuncture needling is faster than the pain impulse, and the intensity of the acupuncture stimulus is stronger than the pain impulse, pain can be inhibited at the spinal cord level and not to be recognized in the higher level by the brain. (Gate control theory could be applied here). Modern researches also demonstrated that acupuncture can stimulate mid brain to secrete Endophines, a nature pain killers, to alleviate the pain. That is why after acupuncture treatment patient usually not only experienced less pain but also has a sense of well-being. Furthermore, acupuncture is a natural way of treatment, no medication and no surgery are involved that there will be no drug abuse or residual organic damage will followed acupuncture treatments.      

 

Interesting results of clinical studies on pain control with acupuncture

 

1.  A Germany study reported by Kleinhenz L and associates, of university of Heidelberg, with the topic of  “Randomised clinical trial comparing the effects of acupuncture and a newly designed placebo needle in rotator cuff tendinitis”, on Pain 1999 November. They treated 52 sportsmen with rotator cuff tendinitis in a radomised single-blind clinical tral using a self-designed placebo needle as control. The acupuncture group received traditional acupuncture therapy with needles inserted into a combination of acupoints. Patients were treated for 4 weeks. Patients were rated using the modified Constant-Murley score. Assessment of the treatment outcome was made by experienced orthopaedists not informed of the treatment allocation. The acupuncture group improved 19.2 CMS points, the control group improved 8.37 points. Acupuncture with penetration of the skin was shown to be more effective than a similar therapeutic setting with placebo needling in the treatment of pain. This study showed that needling is an important part of the acupuncture effect in the treatment of chronic shoulder pain in athletes. From the result of this study, it also reflected a fact that effect of acupuncture is not psychological suggestion, it does provide a radical therapy to disease.

2.   The New Jersey study of Susman published in 1999 using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to monitor the cerebral blood circulation related to acupuncture. The study group was rather small only have 12 patients. All these patients were subjected to pain inducing by a tiny filament used to prick the inside or outside of their upper lips. FMRI were performed and shown an increased blood flow of the parietal areas and brain stems reacted to the pain stimulation.

         Seven subjects received traditional acupuncture needling on the analgesic point, e.g. LI 4 (Hegu), concurrently with the pain stimulation. To the rest of the study group, five subjects, electroacupuncture were applied with low level current being delivered through the needle.

          During 30 minutes of treatment the patients were monitoring continually with fMRI . The result showed 4 of the 7 (57%) who received traditional acupuncture demonstrated considerably decreased levels of brain activity associated with pain. The other 5 subjects who received electroacupouncture all (100%) demonstrated with a decreased pain related brain activity. Also, subjectively, they showed a greater tolerance to pain.

          Increased blood flow to different areas of the brain shown by fMRI indicates that those areas of the brain are being stimulated. With this study, it was clearly demonstrated scientifically that with acupuncture treatment the activity of the pain related brain area was decreased. In other words, pain sensation, or pain reception, was effectively decreased or abolished by acupuncture needling on certain acupoint.