Chronic pain conditions, such as back pain, account for a vast majority of prescription pain reliever consumption. Unfortunately, while these medications may provide relief from discomfort in the short term, they do absolutely nothing to address and heal the underlying causes of pain. For people seeking true and lasting pain relief, the field of acupuncture therapy holds bona fide potential to relieve the suffering caused by many conditions.
What Conditions Can Acupuncture Treat?
While pain relief is one of the primary reasons that people visit an acupuncturist, it can help with many other conditions that include:
Chronic migraine headaches
Stress
Insomnia
Female health issues
Digestive problems
Immune system dysfunction
Allergies
Arthritis
While many people have regular treatments to help alleviate back pain or migraines, this field of medicine can often provide plenty of help for ailments that traditional doctors and medication have difficulty controlling and treating.
How Does Acupuncture Work?
As mentioned earlier, this is a scientifically validated field of medical treatment. Diagnostic imaging, such as MRI scans, have validated that needle insertion produces:
Nerve pathway stimulation
Nerve impulses that travel up the spinal cord to the brain
The brain responds to this nerve stimulation by releasing chemicals, called endorphins, that produce pain and stress relief while promoting a sense of overall well-being
For people who are sick and tired of feeling sick and tired, this long-respected field of medicine offers a real source of relief with no adverse side effects. It is possible to alleviate the symptoms of many diseases and conditions by causing beneficial changes to the circulatory and nervous systems, such as acupuncture provides.
In this instance, an athlete was originally diagnosed with minor quadriceps muscle strain and was treated for four weeks, with unsatisfactory results. When he came to our clinic, the muscle was not healing, and the patients’ muscle tissue had already begun to atrophy.
Upon examination using MSUS, we discovered that he had a full muscle thickness tear that had been overlooked by his previous provider. To mitigate damage and promote healing, surgery should have been performed immediately after the injury occurred. Because of misdiagnosis and inappropriate treatment, the patient now has permanent damage that cannot be corrected.
The most important advantage of Ultrasound over MRI imaging is its ability to zero in on the symptomatic region and obtain imaging, with active participation and feedback from the patient. Using dynamic MSUS, we can see what happens when patients contract their muscles, something that cannot be done with MRI. From a diagnostic perspective, this interaction is invaluable.
Dynamic ultrasonography examination demonstrating the full thickness tear and already occurring muscle atrophy due to misdiagnosis and not referring the patient to proper diagnostic workup
Demonstration of how very small muscle defect is made and revealed to be a complete tear with muscle contraction under diagnostic sonography (not possible with MRI)
Complete tear of rectus femoris with large hematoma (blood)
Separation of muscle ends due to tear elicited on dynamic sonography examination
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