If you have damaged nerves, you may experience neuropathic pain. This type of pain is often difficult to treat; you may have tried various pain medications and are looking for alternatives. Acupuncture is an alternative treatment that may be effective in helping to relieve symptoms associated with pain. Talk to your doctor about your pain, and ask him if acupuncture may be a viable option for you.
Neuropathic Pain
When your nerve fibers become damaged, due to injury or otherwise, and they send incorrect signals, you can experience neuropathic pain. Herniated discs, bone injuries, medications and diseases can affect the integrity of your nerves. Some types of neuropathic pain include diabetic neuropathy and HIV-related neuropathy. After being damaged, your nerves can activate, but are not responding to anything specific. According to the Neurogesx website, the nervous system begins to break down and eventually becomes the cause of the pain. The damaged nerves continue to "fire," causing other nerves to become more sensitive. You can then experience altered responses to sensations as well as additional pain.
Acupuncture
As an integral part of traditional Chinese medicine, or TCM, acupuncture has been used for thousands of years as a main treatment protocol in China, Japan and Korea. TCM theory maintains that energy, or qi, flows through the body along pathways called meridians. Most of these meridians correspond to organs in your body, which have both energetic and physical properties. Qi pools at specific spots along these meridians, which are stimulated via needle, massage or electrical current. Qi should flow evenly throughout your meridians; however, it can be deficient, in excess or stagnated, which lead to symptoms and disease. By stimulating specific points, TCM theory believes that harmony and health can be restored.
Acupuncture and Pain
Western medicine believes that acupuncture works by stimulating nerves and tissues. The Mayo Clinic states that this stimulation appears to appears to boost the activity of your body's natural painkillers and increase blood flow. Although Western medicine typically categorizes acupuncture as a "symptomatic treatment," if performed by a licensed Chinese medicine practitioner, it is actually incorporating a whole body approach. In other words, although you may be receiving acupuncture for pain relief, the practitioner is targeting organs and pathways that are both affected by the damage as well as those that may be contributing to the damage.
Chronic Neck Pain
According to a study epublished in "Evidence Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine" in September 2010, acupressure, which is acupuncture without needles, may be helpful in cases of chronic neck pain. The study tested 33 females, dividing them into groups which received stimuation of local points, or points close to the pain, distal points, or points farther away from the pain, and a control group that received no treatment. The results found that pain symptoms were improved in both the local and distal acupressure groups when compared to controls. However, only the local point acupressure affected the autonomic nervous system.
Integrative Approach
While acupuncture and acupressure may be effective in reducing nerve pain, consider talking to your doctor about combining traditional Western medicine with Eastern medicine. The virtues of each modality may be more effective than just one type of treatment alone. A study in the journal "Chinese Acupuncture and Moxibustion" tested the effectiveness of acupuncture, an analgesic injection and a combination of the two on lumbar spine herniation. Published in August 2010, the study found that both acupuncture and the analgesic pain medication were effective in relieving hernia pain; however, the patients receiving both acupuncture and the injection saw the most relief from their pain.
References
- Neurogesx: Neuropathic Pain
- The Mayo Clinic: Acupuncture
- "Evidence Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine;" Comparative effects of acupressure at local and distal acupuncture points on pain conditions and autonomic function in females with chronic neck pain; T. Matsubara et al; epublished September 2010
- "Chinese Acupuncture and Moxibustion;" inical observation on acupuncture combined with nerve block for treatment of lumbar disc herniation; M. Qu et al; August 2010
