What is Chronic Pain?

Occasional pain is simply part of life. In fact, pain serves a very important function, alerting you that something in your environment or body is amiss. For some people, however, pain continues even when no clear source has been found.

Chronic pain can be absolutely devastating and is a leading cause of disability in the United States. Finding an effective way to manage that pain is a top priority, but many Western approaches simply miss the mark and can even bring about more pain.

How does Western Medicine approach chronic pain?

A great deal of research has gone into managing chronic pain. Unfortunately, much of that research has centered on creating new drugs to treat pain. For many, drug therapy leads to an increasing reliance on pharmaceuticals and can even develop into addiction. The current opioid crisis is a prime example of the failure of Western medicine to effectively treat chronic pain.

Surgery is another treatment option for chronic pain that’s related to joint damage and certain other physiological issues. While surgery can sometimes correct the source of pain, many people find that surgery only worsens their pain, whether from complications or nerve damage.

Could Acupuncture make chronic pain worse?

When performed by a trained practitioner, acupuncture is an incredibly safe treatment. It certainly has lower risks than those associated with drug therapy or surgery.

Some patients experience a brief intensifying of symptoms in the days following acupuncture sessions, and some notice shifts in their emotions, sleep patterns, appetite, or bowel and urinary function. If such changes occur, they’ll fade in a short time and should be viewed as signs that the treatment is working.

How does acupuncture differ in approaching pain management?

Some people have a hard time accepting the traditional Chinese conception of how acupuncture works. The idea of a river of life force flowing through undetectable pathways in your body is hard for many to envision and embrace.

Western medicine also offers explanations for why acupuncture is demonstrably effective. One theory is that the treatment needles prompt your nervous system to release certain chemicals that alter your perception of pain. 

Another approach holds that acupuncture stimulates your body’s natural healing power, addressing the source of pain in a way that drug therapy and other approaches simply can’t match.

Regardless of how you conceptualize acupuncture, a growing body of research supports the practice as a safe and effective means of managing chronic pain.