That pain in your neck can be extremely disruptive, although it may not be serious enough to warrant a trip to the doctor for pain medication. Neck pain is the third most common type of pain for Americans, according to a survey conducted by the National Institute of Health Statistics, or NIHS. Complementary medicine treatments, such as acupuncture, can offer treatment without drugs. Discuss your neck pain with your doctor and ask him if acupuncture would be right for you.
Sources of Neck Pain
According to Mayoclinic.com, the origins of neck pain are usually not severe. Strained muscles, poor posture and arthritis are common causes of pain, but more serious conditions can also lead to neck pain, and medical help should be sought in these cases, states the website. Whiplash, injuries, nerve compression or diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis or meningitis can all lead to neck pain, and you should seek out your physician if you experience any of these.
According to M. Shannon Fields, LAc, Dipl. O.M., an acupuncturist practicing in Greenville, South Carolina, and Asheville, North Carolina, "Neck pain is a very common complaint. People often hold stress in their necks which can generate headaches and pain as well as traumatic injury."
Chinese Theory
Chinese medicine theory is vastly different from the western perspective with which you may be accustomed. Pain is considered, in some cases, to be a "stagnation" of energy, or qi, as well as blood, according to Acupuncture.com. This stagnation is what leads to the pain or pressure you may be feeling, as well as the loss of feeling you can experience. Chinese medicine practitioners attempt to move energy and blood through needling or stimulating energy points along energy lines called meridians.
Research
Although there are not many clinical studies discussing neck pain and acupuncture, some have been done fairly recently. In 2004, the "Annals of Internal Medicine" published a study performed in the United Kingdom on patients with chronic, mechanical neck pain. The researchers wanted to compare acupuncture treatment with placebo, which was a mock electro-stimulation treatment. They concluded that acupuncture improved patient outcome statistically, although not clinically, better than placebo.
The "Journal of Clinical Oncology" also published an article about acupuncture and neck pain in May 2010. Cancer patients from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York who had a history of neck dissections were given either acupuncture or traditional treatment for their neck pain. The results showed "significant reductions in pain, dysfunction and xerostomia were observed in patients receiving acupuncture versus usual care."
Points for Neck Pain
Your acupuncturist may select a variety of treatment points, depending on your type of pain and the possible causes. If you are having trouble turning your head, a common point for your practitioner to needle is bladder point 10, which is located on the back of the head at the base of the skull, according to "A Manual of Acupuncture." It is located on either side of the neck, a little over an inch from the center of the spine. Another point to help the head regain mobility is small intestine point 3. Surprisingly, this point is on the outside of the hand, states Acupuncture.com. Your practitioner may have you make a loose fist, and then find it on the outside of your hand, below the knuckle joint of your pinky finger.
If your pain radiates downward toward your elbow, another small intestine point may be valuable. Small intestine 8 is near the inside of the elbow, according to "A Manual of Acupuncture." If you find the tip of your elbow, you may also be able to feel the bone protrusion near it, on the inside of your arm. This point is the tip of your humerus, or upper arm, bone. In a spot right between these two points lies small intestine 8, which is recommended for neck pain that radiates down to the elbow.
Conclusions
Although research suggests that acupuncture can help with pain, always be sure to discuss it with your doctor first. Be sure to research acupuncturists in your area, ascertaining that they have experience with your symptoms and have successfully treated similar cases. According to Fields, six acupuncture treatments are fairly common, although it may vary with your particular case and symptoms. She finds acupuncture treatments very helpful in cases of neck pain and also states that the treatment involves high benefits with low risks of further injury or damage. Be sure to discuss your neck pain with your doctor before beginning acupuncture treatments.
References
- Acupuncture.com: Pain
- "Annals of Internal Medicine"; Acupuncture versus placebo for the treatment of chronic mechanical neck pain: a randomized, controlled trial; White, P et al; December 2004
- Mayoclinic.com: Causes of Neck Pain
- Acupuncture.com: Small Intestine 3
- "A Manual of Acupuncture"; Deadman, P and Al-Khafaji, M; 2001
