Medical Treatment and Autism: Tips For Success

How Acupuncture Can Treat Knee Pain

Knee injuries resulting from skiing, skating, and falling down on the ice are common over the winter. The pain can linger on for many weeks and months. The use of pain medications can dull the senses and make some people feel groggy during the day, and because of this, they would prefer to have an alternative way to manage the pain in the knee. Acupuncture is an alternative to pain medication that has been used for centuries in China and other parts of the world. Here is how an acupuncturist can treat pain in a knee.

Acupuncture Points

Acupuncturists use thin needles to insert through your skin and into acupuncture points around your knee. An acupuncture point is a place where the biophysical properties of the body meet together. Biophysical properties include electric, acoustic, magnetic, and other properties. When the biophysical properties work in harmony with each other, your body feels healthy and strong; but when you suffer injuries, the biophysical properties are in discord and the pathways need to be re-established. Acupuncture is the art of re-establishing the pathways so you feel better.

Knee Acupuncture Points

There are three acupuncture points that are commonly used to treat knee pain. One of the points is above the knee, another is on the side of the knee, and the third is just below the knee. The acupuncturist will insert a needle into all three locations to treat knee pain.

Acupuncture Needles

Acupuncture needles are extremely thin and can be inserted through the skin without causing an injury like a syringe that is used for things like a flu shot. A syringe actually breaks the skin and that is why you bleed a little after getting the shot. The needles are typically made of stainless steel today. Each needle is individually packaged and sterilized. The acupuncturist will only use a needle once and then throw it away to avoid cross-contamination with patients.

How a Needle Reduces Pain

The needles are inserted into the acupuncture points around the knee and allowed to sit there for around 20 minutes or so. The needles help to stimulate the nerves pathways (which also helps to restore the harmony of the biophysical properties of your body). When the nerves are stimulated they send signals to the brain. The signals cause the brain to release hormones into the body and these hormones help to reduce the pain in the knee and may also help make the patient feel slightly euphoric.

The acupuncturist will remove the needs once the time they have prescribed is up. You will typically be given a treatment plan that includes massages, and stretching exercise, and then you will be free to go home.  You will usually have to do repeated visits to control the pain as your knee heals. Pop over here for more information.


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