The Treatment of Pain and Muscle Tension

Acupuncture is one of the most effective treatments that exist for releasing muscle tension, correcting muscular imbalance and relieving pain.

Muscle tension develops for two main reasons.  People commonly respond to stress by holding tension in some part of their body. It is common for tension to be held in the neck, shoulders, back, chest, stomach and scalp.  Different people, depending on their personality and genetics, will tend to hold tension in one or more of these areas.  Chronic tension in any part of the body is not only uncomfortable but can sometimes actually interfere with organ function (as in the function of the liver, kidneys lungs etc.).

Muscle tension can also develop because of an injury (or overuse).  If a person is injured the body will tend to “guard” the area of injury.  What this means is that if injured, you will tend not to move in a way that will increase the sensation of discomfort.  Over time this will cause a shortening of the muscle fibers in the injured area which will in turn cause painful trigger points to develop in the muscle.  The “constriction” and tightening will further restrict the circulation of blood, lymph, energy and whatever else should be circulating freely in healthy tissue.  This situation will sometimes develop into a chronic problem if there is no intervention to change this degenerative cycle. 

Whether from stress or injury, there are millions of people in this country who have some type of pain related problem.  There is a component of muscle tension involved with every single problem involving pain.  It is very common that even after an injury “heals” there is still an area of irritated inflamed muscle and tendonous tissue at the site of injury that perpetuates a cycle of pain and disfunction.  

Acupuncture offers a potent treatment option in these situations.  Having treated thousands of people as well as having been treated hundreds of times I know that there is nothing that will resolve these problems as effectively as the proper type of acupuncture.  I find about 50% of people with pain who I treat will notice an obvious change in the way they feel after just one treatment. 

There are a whole host of other conditions that involve muscle tension without pain.  For example it is very common for anyone with a breathing problem- i.e. asthma, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, etc. - to develop tension in the muscles of the chest and/or upper back.  It is common for anyone with a liver or gallbladder problem to develop muscle tension in the right side rib and right side mid back areas.  There are clearly established connections between the organs and specific areas in the soft (muscular) tissue.   Simply releasing tension in these areas can have a profound effect on how a person feels and how their body functions.

There are also a number of “pain” disorders which are not primarily due to tension, but are the result of inflammation or disease.  Arthritis, lupus, cancer, bursitis, neuropathy, tooth pain/TMJ, phantom limb pain, migraines, menstrual pain are a few examples of other types of pain disorders which will often respond very well to treatment.