Acupuncture Mechanisms The Acupuncture Needle
Acupuncture Mechanisms
The Acupuncture Needle
As I posted on my in my last post on acupuncture there can be a variety of different mechanical mechanisms that the many styles of acupuncture, whether the needle or moxibustion(mugwort) will have on the body. Over the next posts regarding East Asian Medicine AcuMoxa I will delve into some of the physical mechanisms happening to the body that research has found currently.
The Acupuncture needle.
Over the history of acupuncture use there has been a variety of different needles that are used. Today most of the practitioners use the one-time-use filiform needle as the main tool of treatment.
The gauge of needles can vary and with the different gauges or thickness of the needle, the practitioner will generally be trying to work on a level of structure or tissue. One of the main focuses of direct needling to the body is its use on varying levels of connective tissue( Fascia, Muscle, Tendon, Skin, Ligament).
One of the stronger mechanisms of the direct acupuncture needling to connective tissue stemmed from research showing how the connective tissue wrapped around the needle. With different stimulation, this would allow the practitioner to release or relax said tissue.
Most practitioners familiar with acupuncture and this mechanical act on the tissue will most likely have seen in the above picture as a showing of the action that happens when the needle is twisted in the connective tissue. The fascia grab can be explained as one of the aspects that the needle is having physically on the body. Back in 2006 it also served as a way of maybe explaining the phenomenon of the acupuncture channels.
Although these studies show the actual physical mechanism it is hard to say or at least from the citations of Langevin who did this research what the actual effect on the tissue may be. The researcher goes on to say in a later paper that some of the effects may be due to its ability to create a sort of stretch on the connective tissue similar to manual therapy or direct stretching like yoga. The difference here however is that the needle may be able to be a little more focused as well as getting into the deeper connective tissue layers.
In my clinic, I tend to use some of the other mechanisms in regard to its effect on the neurological system. I will be going over these in a later post. I save this type of connective tissue work to my manual bodywork like those found in Structural Integration and Functional Range Release.
Have you gotten acupuncture for a musculoskeletal issue? Was it able to release or relax the muscle? Did your practitioner use a larger gauge needle into deep connective tissue? If you had relief in pain or gain in the range of motion how much/long?
(1)Langevin, H. M., Bouffard, N. A., Badger, G. J., Churchill, D. L., & Howe, A. K. (2006). Subcutaneous tissue fibroblast cytoskeletal remodeling induced by acupuncture: Evidence for a mechanotransduction-based mechanism. Journal of Cellular Physiology, 207(3), 767–774. https://doi-org.ezproxy.ocom.edu:2443/10.1002/jcp.20623
(2) https://doi.org/10.1002/ar.10185
(3) Langevin HM. What Does Basic Research Tell Us About the Effects of Acupuncture on Connective tissue? American Acupuncturist. 2010;52:27-29. Accessed September 22, 2021. https://search-ebscohost-com.ezproxy.ocom.edu:2443/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=cookie,ip,uid&db=awh&AN=52109207&site=ehost-live