Treating musculoskeletal pain is the forte of acupuncture. Pain is caused by several factors including:

• Inflammation
• Reduced or increased blood flow
• Muscle spasm or tightness

None of these, however, causes the sensation of pain. Signals must be sent from the affected area to the brain’s pain centers. Acupuncture works on all of these factors by:

• Clearing the heat of inflammation. The heat conducting needles “draw out” heat to reduce inflammation.
• Regulating blood flow both locally and peripherally through vasoconstriction and dilation.
• Strongly relaxing muscles by resetting ion potentials across the muscle membranes. This muscle relaxant quality is stronger and works faster than almost any other modality because the ion changes happen immediately.
• Releasing endorphins and reducing blood flow to certain brain centers related to pain, both of which reduce the perception and experience of pain.

Chinese Herbal Medicine can also help pain by:

• Nourishing the blood & Increasing blood flow
• Clearing the heat of inflammation
• Relaxing the muscles
• Calming the spirit

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All terminology and medical statements in this website are
based on the Traditional Chinese Medical model.