Acupuncture and Neck Pain
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Acupuncture and Neck Pain
Physicians, now more than ever are recommending non-pharmacological treatment including massage, acupuncture and exercise as part of a multi-modal approach for patients suffering from neck pain.
Why are physicians promoting a non-pharmacological approach?
The reality is this - opioids have side effects are people are looking for alternative pain management strategies. Opioid-based painkillers are problematic for several reasons. Their efficacy wane over time and they have been linked to addiction and overdose deaths. The Centers for Disease Control has advised doctors to restrict their use (Frieden et al. 2016).
Acupuncture and Neck Pain
There is quite a bit of research suggesting that acupuncture/electro-acupuncture has therapeutic benefit for neck pain (Blanpied et al. 2017, Cerezo-Téllez et al. 2016, Gerber et al. 2017, Kjaer et al. 2017).
Acupuncture Mechanism of Action
Contextual effects, including positive expectations and reassurance contribute to the benefit of benefit acupuncture, but there is evidence to suggest that it is not limited to placebo (Vickers et al 2012).
There are a number of other potential mechanism of action based on a wide range of clinical trials published in reputable journals, done by researchers from reputable medical institutions.
If you look at the research on the biological mechanisms of action, acupuncture needles and dry needles are doing the same thing: providing a novel stimulus to the CNS which has effects on many neuroanatomical regions associated with pain.
Needle insertion stimulates nerve endings which can block nociceptive signaling according to gate-control theory, needle insertion also stimulates endogenous opioid release, purinergic signaling and modulation of the endocannibinoid system (Chen et al. 2017).
Talk to your local physicians about conservative treatment options
Therapists are uniquely suited to incorporate a number management strategies (exercise, education, acupuncture and manual therapy) to help decrease neck pain and increase function. Proper assessment and referrals are important to identify who is most likely to benefit from conservative treatments.
More to Explore
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