Acupuncture is a form of medical treatment which is thousands of years old. I found many references about the value of acupuncture for treating back and neck pain and suspected I would find a lot for treatment of carpal tunnel symptoms, too, but I really didn’t find as many.
The practice of acupuncture involves stimulating points in muscles with thin needles. Sometimes the needles are moved or rotated by hand. Sometimes the stimulation comes from electrical current passing through the needles. The electricity takes less human time than rotating the needles by hand.
Needles for carpal tunnel symptoms are placed
in the area of the hand, lower and upper arm, and perhaps on the neck and back. The placement of needles is determined by the type of pain an individual has and where the energy blockage is.
Meridians or channels have been determined to affect different parts of the body. They have names such as Gall Bladder Meridian or Heart Meridian. If there are blockages in these channels of energy, pain and dysfunction can result.
So, acupuncture seeks to open or release the energy blockages to relieve pain or symptoms.
Acupressure (pressure and stimulation of meridians by hand rather than needles) is applied to the same points that the needles are. Once you know where the meridians are, you can “run” them by passing your hands over the path of the meridian.
A practitioner of acupuncture believes it is the best therapy just as a chiropractor believes his is the best. And, me? Well, I’m stuck on massage therapy.
Acupuncture may well open blocked energy channels–and we do have energy in and around our bodies–and it may even cause a sense of relief immediately afterward. And it is used in traditional Chinese medicine and in China is even used as a natural anesthetic during surgery.
But massage! Massage therapy by a skilled practitioner can be a great help for carpal tunnel pain relief. It feels good. It boosts your immune system. Okay, I’m biased. I love it!
Hi Sarah,
Yes, it IS ancient medicine! And if someone is squeamish about needles, acupressure uses the same points of release.
Massage is also an ancient natural medicine. I love the benefits of massage for carpal tunnel pain relief.
Kathryn
Acupuncture is an ancient alternative medicine, It was originated from China and their using this before World War II,
Thank you, Chris, for your comments.
I have talked with people who have had benefit from acupuncture as well as others who didn’t.
It is very old medicine (as massage is) and I have never experienced it personally. However, acu-pressure is beneficial and causes similar feelings to those after a massage so I suspect acupuncture would, too. A really BIG benefit of acupuncture is that it is a natural therapy. You are welcome and I appreciate you writing.
Kathryn
Accupuncture is a very old fashion way of treatment but its really helpful to those people that suffer from stroke and even pain. It gives a lot of benefits for the patients that was undergo accupunture treatment. Thank you for your blog!