Spasms are involuntary sudden movements of muscles that are usually short-lived and harmless. Occasionally, they can be long in duration, resulting in an excruciating burst of pain, and can lead to tearing of muscle tissue and dislocation of joints. Acupuncture is a valuable treatment option for muscle spasms, because it can ameliorate the condition by redirecting or inhibiting nerve stimulation of the muscle tissue.
Jaw Dislocation
Subluxation of the mandible, or dislocation of the jaw, can occur suddenly while yawning or laughing and patients cannot correctly reclose the jaw. This condition is marked by pain and spasms that can tense the muscles of the jaw associated with the dislocation. A study in the March 2010 issue of “Acupuncture & Electrotherapeutics Research” documented treatment outcomes of 37 patients with subluxation of the mandible using acupuncture, manual manipulation or injections of local anesthetic to reduce the symptoms. The study found that acupuncture was a more successful treatment than manipulation or anesthetic injections. Three acupoints, Neikuan, or P6, Yintang, or Ext1 and Shenmen, or H7, were effective in relieving pain and spasms of the muscles associated with this condition.
Facial Spasms
An article appearing in the September 2004 issue of the “Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine” investigated the effects of acupuncture for treatment of facial spasms, facial paralysis and trigeminal neuralgia, a neurological disorder that causes a stabbing pain and spasms in parts of the face. The authors state that acupuncture at Fengchi, or GB20, Wangu, or GB12 and Tianzhu, or BL10 can significantly improve blood supply to the vertebral artery, which runs along the neck, increase the cerebral blood flow, and relax the spasm of the smooth muscles. Additionally, the study found that acupuncture at Shangxing, or GV23 and Yintang, or EX-HN3, can relieve pain and spasms in trigeminal neuralgia and chronic facial paralysis.
Spasms in the Hand and Arm
Researchers at the University of Auckland School of Medicine in New Zealand designed experiments to determine the efficacy of using acupuncture and electrical stimulation to inhibit muscle spasms in the hand and arm extensor muscles. Using acupuncture points LI4 and LI11, the investigators showed that spasms were reduced in the digitorum communis muscles, which run from the elbow to the hand to extend the fingers. The study concluded that acupuncture and electrostimulation exerts a physiologic effect on the central nervous system to relieve muscle spasms and musculoskeletal pain and restore mobility of the hand and arm.
Spasms After Cervical Surgery
A study published in the October 2006 issue of “Chinese Acupuncture & Moxibustion” detailed the mechanisms of acupuncture and massage in the tendons of the upper arm for relief of spasms after cervical, or neck, surgery. Researchers recruited 56 patients who had recently gone through cervical surgery and divided them into two groups -- one received acupuncture and tendon massage, and a second was treated with acupuncture and medication. Spasms were recorded using electromyograms, which can sense movements through electrical impulses generated by the muscle tissue and relay them to a graph for interpretation. Before treatment, upper limb spasms were characterized by electromyograms with high amplitudes, long intervals and low threshold values that induced involuntary spasms of the limb. After treatment, the acupuncture/massage group showed decreased amplitude of electrical stimulation, an increase of the time between spasms and a higher threshold value, which inhibited the onset of spasms.
References
- “Acupuncture & Electrotherapeutics Research”; Clinical Effectiveness of Acupuncture for Mandibular Subluxation and Dislocation; D. Lu, et al.; March 2010
- “Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine”; Mind-Refreshing Acupuncture Therapy for Facial Spasm, Trigeminal Neuralgia and Stubborn Facial Paralysis; Z. Liu, et al.; September 2004
- “Experimental Neurology”; Intramuscular Acupuncture-Like Electrical Stimulation Inhibits Stretch Reflexes in Contralateral Finger Extensor Muscles; R. Milne, et al.; October 1985
- “Chinese Acupuncture & Moxibustion”; Effect of Acupuncture and Massage at Tendon on F-Wave of Electromyogram in the Patient of Flexor Spasm of the Upper Limb after Operation of Cervical Spondylosis; T. Tan, et al.; October 2006
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