More and more studies are showing the positive effects of acupuncture in treating arthritic pain, and it makes perfect sense! With a simple understanding of what arthritis is it is easy to see why acupuncture treatments have been shown to be so effective.
The word “arthritis” comes from the Greek arthro meaning “joint” and the Latin itis meaning “inflammation”. And that’s just what arthritis is – Inflammation/pain in the joint!
Now, there are many types of arthritis – the most common being osteoarthritis
With this particular type of arthritis the symptoms develop slowly and get worse as time goes by. There is pain in a joint, either during or after use, or after a period of inactivity. There will be tenderness when pressure is applied to the joint and the joint will be stiff, especially first thing in the morning. In some cases, hard lumps, or bone spurs may appear around the joint. The most common affected joints are in the hips, hands, knees and spine.
Essentially, over time the cartilage which helps to lubricate and cushion our joints breaks down. This results in the stiffness and painful movements associated with arthritis. Inflammation at the joint is then a by product of this breakdown – the end result is Pain!
And this is where acupuncture is so effective – In controlling the inflammation, managing the associated pain and activating the body’s natural healing process.
The same we distract our brain by frantically rubbing our toes after walking into a wall, acupuncture can have a similar distracting effect. Nerves stimulated during acupuncture block the signals from nerves that carry pain information to the brain allowing time to heal. Additionally, It has been shown in numerous studies that acupuncture stimulates the release of our natural pain killing hormones such as endorphins and opioids in the brain and spinal cord – reducing the aches and pains associated with arthritis!
Additionally, Acupuncture tells the body where the battle is. For example, When you cut your hand, the body sends help to the injury site to allow for scarring and healing. Likewise, when a needle is inserted into an acupuncture point, the body pays special attention to the micro-trauma and emits healing factors. With the insertion of needles, acupuncture triggers blood vessels to dilate enhancing the flow of blood to the area. This facilitates the removal of waste products from the area of injury and brings in new cells. More so, acupuncture diminishes pain by releasing tight, spasmed/shortened muscles to their resting state.
And whether it’s your Knees, Hands, Hip or Back or feet, Acupuncture works the same way! With all these proven benefits it is easy for one to see why the treatment can be so effective in managing conditions such as osteoarthritis. We offer acupuncture for arthritis and many other conditions and offer Acupuncture in Milton and Burlington. We are seeing great results! Please contact us to book an appointment..
