Acupuncture is well known for treating and managing pain. It relieves pain through an endogenous opiate release triggered by the needling response. Essentially the body releases its own pain killers allowing the body to relax the nervous system The effect also calms the fight-or-flight response that causes tension, improves circulation, and promotes healing.
Acupuncture needles create minute abrasions in the muscles that stimulate the brain to secrete specific neuro biochemicals, like endorphins, allowing for relaxation of skeletal, smooth, and cardiac muscles.
The tiny abrasions caused by acupuncture needles create inflammation in the body. Inflammation is a healthy response to tissue damage. In a healthy system, inflammation should stimulate our self healing response. However, various factors and lifestyle considerations can increase systemic and localized inflammation. This overactivation of inflammation can prevent healing. The overall regulatory effects of acupuncture on the body can help rectify this process.
Acupuncture stimulates the nervous system by activating nociceptors, sensory nerves, and proprioceptive fibers that travel from the skin to the spine and into the brain. The meridians that acupuncture follows correlate with the peripheral pathways, arterial pathways, myofascial pain syndromes, and referred pain patterns. This stimulation improves nerve signals to your brain, instigating your brain to release endorphins and natural painkillers to shut off the message and sensation of pain to your brain.
The brain is a key factor in understanding the mechanisms of pain relief from acupuncture. The brain has certain regions that register pain. When an acupuncturist needles points near or far away from the affected areas, it provides additional neurological information to be transported to the brain through the central nervous system. This redirects the brain’s understanding of the pain the body is experiencing.
Acupuncture is also used to relieve muscular tension through accessing trigger points and the subsequent release of the muscles. This eases the pain and discomfort caused by tight or strained muscles.
