Acupuncture and muscle pulls

[jomar]

I've been googling, but not sure. Acupuncture is great for pain, but I can't find info on how it promotes muscle repair. Anybody have any experience with it?

 

[christabelll]

you have to kind of think of it as electrical repair...

So you have this lamp - a couple little things not getting the juice they need -
flickering light bulb, faulty socket, what have you. Or say it gets knocked over, the bulb is broken, a wire pinched, a chip out of the porceline.

In comes the repairman... his tools as it were are accupuncture needles...
he gauges flow, studies the voltmeter... then he applies his tools, the connection is reopened, all parts are juiced properly. THe bent metal reshaped, the chip - glued, the wire uncrimped...

What accupuncture facilitates is the bodies own ability to heal it self using the principles of fire and water and how they blend in the body. If you have been injured, or have been or are ill, various parts of your body are then experiencing blockage, imbalance - dis-ease. The insertion of fine needles at key "trigger"points re-[pair] - open these hinderances to proper functionality.

Sometimes it takes many sessions to accomplish the goal. In many ways especially with chronic conditions, it takes a long time to retrain the body response.

I have used it benefited highly from it. I often if not always recommend starting here before going to western medical practices. and I ahve found that when the two are incorporated in a balanced holistic manner wellness is a real thing and not just false feelings of health. (Natural remedies first, accupuncture, chiropractic care, massage, then doctors and mri's and meds etc.) Just my personal habit...

Hope it helps

 

[jomar]

Thanks Christabelll.

My thinking is that acupuncture is good for pain management, not for muscle repair. That is, it can relieve pain while a groin injury heals, but not heal the groin injury. But then, I'm new to the art. Thoughts?

 

[MaeveoSliabh]

I have used it benefited highly from it. I often if not always recommend starting here before going to western medical practices. and I ahve found that when the two are incorporated in a balanced holistic manner wellness is a real thing and not just false feelings of health. (Natural remedies first, accupuncture, chiropractic care, massage, then doctors and mri's and meds etc.) Just my personal habit...

Being an LMT, I would have to put massage much closer to the top of the list, but...

Both acupuncture and massage promote the healing of torn tissue. Acupunture is used to move the body's natural energy in a beneficial way, if done correctly. The movement of this energy pushes the body to heal itself.

Massage, done by a trained professional, helps to move the fluids of the body, and will help to break up the adhesions in healing tissue. This helps the body heal more quickly by cutting down on the amount of scar tissue formed (scar tissue grows more slowly than 'normal' tissue) and by helping to clear the unhealthy junk the immune functions leave behind as a normal matter of course.

 

[jomar]

Being an LMT, I would have to put massage much closer to the top of the list, but...

Both acupuncture and massage promote the healing of torn tissue. Acupunture is used to move the body's natural energy in a beneficial way, if done correctly. The movement of this energy pushes the body to heal itself.

Massage, done by a trained professional, helps to move the fluids of the body, and will help to break up the adhesions in healing tissue. This helps the body heal more quickly by cutting down on the amount of scar tissue formed (scar tissue grows more slowly than 'normal' tissue) and by helping to clear the unhealthy junk the immune functions leave behind as a normal matter of course.

Thank you Maeveo, but how does a muscle pull/tear benefit from acupuncture. I think of pain management vs tissue healing over time.

 

[christabelll]

I agree with Maeve...

But Jomar... isnt that what western medicine supposedly does? Heal the injury?

Okay - miracle instant cure no... but like taking highly bio-available supplements, applying Arnica gel for swelling and bruising, having accupuncture help the body heal itself by clearing energy centers and aiding over loaded areas (the injured area) get the juice it needs to heal, massage, keeps the muscles and tendons from atrophying while healing and helps push out toxins the body stores and or accumulates in the tissues of the body, including excess water and fluid from swelling and infection.

I truly belive it helps speed things along much faster than say codiene and bengay can.

 

[popcorn2721]

Thanks Christabelll.

My thinking is that acupuncture is good for pain management, not for muscle repair. That is, it can relieve pain while a groin injury heals, but not heal the groin injury. But then, I'm new to the art. Thoughts?

My understanding is that by opening up the median conduits in your body, making the energy that it takes to repair tissue easier to obtain in fact speeds up healing of damaged tissue.

 

[MaeveoSliabh]

Thank you Maeveo, but how does a muscle pull/tear benefit from acupuncture. I think of pain management vs tissue healing over time.

It works in much the same way as pushing the fluids through. Tissues take energy to heal as well as the more tangible things such as blood flow and nutrients. Acupuncture helps to move fresh energy into the injured area, supplying a sort of fuel the tissues need to speed up the healing process. Something like blowing fresh air onto a smoldering bed of coals to speed up the burning process, or opening the flue of a chimney to allow air flow and make a fire kick up.

 

[jomar]

I agree with Maeve...

But Jomar... isnt that what western medicine supposedly does? Heal the injury?

Okay - miracle instant cure no... but like taking highly bio-available supplements, applying Arnica gel for swelling and bruising, having accupuncture help the body heal itself by clearing energy centers and aiding over loaded areas (the injured area) get the juice it needs to heal, massage, keeps the muscles and tendons from atrophying while healing and helps push out toxins the body stores and or accumulates in the tissues of the body, including excess water and fluid from swelling and infection.

I truly belive it helps speed things along much faster than say codiene and bengay can.

My understanding is that by opening up the median conduits in your body, making the energy that it takes to repair tissue easier to obtain in fact speeds up healing of damaged tissue.

It works in much the same way as pushing the fluids through. Tissues take energy to heal as well as the more tangible things such as blood flow and nutrients. Acupuncture helps to move fresh energy into the injured area, supplying a sort of fuel the tissues need to speed up the healing process. Something like blowing fresh air onto a smoldering bed of coals to speed up the burning process, or opening the flue of a chimney to allow air flow and make a fire kick up.

Speeding up the process makes sense to me. In the case of muscle pull/tears, western medicine doesn't speed the process, it immobilizes if necessary and helps things not hurt.

Thanks all, googling didn't seem to give me the succinct and clear answers you did.

 

[MaeveoSliabh]

Speeding up the process makes sense to me. In the case of muscle pull/tears, western medicine doesn't speed the process, it immobilizes if necessary and helps things not hurt.

Thanks all, googling didn't seem to give me the succinct and clear answers you did.

There are indications that western medicine can actually hinder the speedy recovery by immobilization and chemical reactions to medications. The immobilisation and use of antiinflammatories (basically all 'painkillers' that don't end with the suffix '-ine') severely cut down the movement of blood and lymph through the area. The movement of those fluids are absolutely necessary both for healing and for the natural maintenence of tissues.

There are exceptions, of course, in which the immobilisation IS the best thing - temporarily, and with short periods of slow, limited motion.

 

[SlickTony]

I've been undergoing acupuncture for urinary stress incontinence, which at its worst was such that if I slightly turned my ankle on a bit of uneven pavement, I'd leak, let alone if I tried to do a spin kick. It's now much better than it was, although I can't totally rely on it if I have a really bad coughing fit. This crud has been going around in my area that features chest-wracking, throat-tearing, unproductive coughs. But at least I can do jumping jacks or something like that, and I can prevent leakage when sneezing, if I concentrate and kegel really hard. I also think that sex has improved, although I hesitate to mention that to the chiropractor (who's been administering it); that sort of thing is so subjective.

 

[shereads]

I had accupuncture once for a sprained wrist. I'd have opted for narcotic pain relievers, but I was in the far boondocks among health nuts and no drugs were offered. So I thought, what could it hurt? It was the second day of a hiking vacation, if I my wrist was ruined for the week my trip would be trashed.

It didn't completely alleviate the pain, but it helped.

I'd have thought it was only a psychological cure, if not for one bizarre effect: I had closed my eyes to shut out the sight of the needles (hate needles!) and the first thing I felt was a slight pressure in the wrist that wasn't sprained.

"That's the wrong wrist," I said.

"No, that's what you're supposed to feel."

When I opened my eyes and looked, sure enough, there was nothing happening on the right side at all. The needle was in the left wrist, the sprained one, and I felt nothing there at all.

It was mysterious. I liked that.

 

[jomar]

I've been undergoing acupuncture for urinary stress incontinence, which at its worst was such that if I slightly turned my ankle on a bit of uneven pavement, I'd leak, let alone if I tried to do a spin kick. It's now much better than it was, although I can't totally rely on it if I have a really bad coughing fit. This crud has been going around in my area that features chest-wracking, throat-tearing, unproductive coughs. But at least I can do jumping jacks or something like that, and I can prevent leakage when sneezing, if I concentrate and kegel really hard. I also think that sex has improved, although I hesitate to mention that to the chiropractor (who's been administering it); that sort of thing is so subjective.

Sounds like you've had it pretty rough. I'm glad you're feeling better and it sounds like acupuncture has helped. The woman doing mine is a Chinese trained physician and acupuncture has been in the family for generations. It's helped promote the muscle healing, but I had another twitch when I tried to get to active to soon.

 

[jomar]

I had accupuncture once for a sprained wrist. I'd have opted for narcotic pain relievers, but I was in the far boondocks among health nuts and no drugs were offered. So I thought, what could it hurt? It was the second day of a hiking vacation, if I my wrist was ruined for the week my trip would be trashed.

It didn't completely alleviate the pain, but it helped.

I'd have thought it was only a psychological cure, if not for one bizarre effect: I had closed my eyes to shut out the sight of the needles (hate needles!) and the first thing I felt was a slight pressure in the wrist that wasn't sprained.

"That's the wrong wrist," I said.

"No, that's what you're supposed to feel."

When I opened my eyes and looked, sure enough, there was nothing happening on the right side at all. The needle was in the left wrist, the sprained one, and I felt nothing there at all.

It was mysterious. I liked that.

Me too. It's like magic pain relief. As long as you keep in mind that lack of pain does not mean it's healed.

 

[Guest]

Acupuncture can also help reduce inflammation through some of the mechanisms described above. Post-injury inflammation is virtually universal, and inflamed tissues heal slowly, if at all.

 

[NoJo]

There are indications that western medicine can actually hinder the speedy recovery by immobilization and chemical reactions to medications. The immobilisation and use of antiinflammatories (basically all 'painkillers' that don't end with the suffix '-ine') severely cut down the movement of blood and lymph through the area. The movement of those fluids are absolutely necessary both for healing and for the natural maintenence of tissues.

There are exceptions, of course, in which the immobilisation IS the best thing - temporarily, and with short periods of slow, limited motion.

I can testify to that. Time was, the cure for a slipped disk was traction and bedrest. Nowadays, back specialists encourage (gentle) activity. Acupuncture helped me, but it was less effective (and a lot more expensive) than ice-packs.