Acupuncture for joint pain
Joint pain tends to be a part of arthritic conditions. Arthritis pain is common in the UK, where the damp climate can create or exacerbate arthritic conditions.
Joint problems tend to affect the elderly more, such as chronic knee pain or hip pain. In traditional Chinese medicine this is because the elderly are weakened due to living. Supplementing them with warm foods, iron and ginseng can help their general health and allow energy and blood to nourish the joint, thereby maintaining its current quality. Eating cold foods such as chilled foods, salads and ice/ice-cream can make the body colder, which can affect blood flow to the joint.
Painful joint conditions in Chinese medicine is caused by a lack or qi (energy that flows through the body) or blood flow to the affected area. This lack of nutritional blood flow to the area not only causes pain but also the disintegration of the joint and surrounding tissues.
Acupuncture for joint pain
Treatment options for joint trouble include pain management techniques such as painkillers, corticosteroid injections, a knee placement or acupuncture and oriental medicine. Physical therapy is not recommended.
One of the most popular alternative medicine treatments for joint pain is acupuncture. It has been used for thousands of years to relieve joint pain. Acupuncture helps to move energy and blood to the affected area, thereby allowing the body to heal the surrounding tissues and relieve joint pain.
A licensed acupuncturist will use specific points based upon scientific evidence for long term relief of joint pain and other medical conditions.
If you try it, you will be amazed by how thin needles are used, which are disposable needles and only used once. Treatment can also boost the immune system and reduce inflammation. Research has shown that electric current type treatment is able to prevent bone loss.
Watch my animated video below which explains how acupuncture can relieve joint pain.
Self-care tips
Joint problems can feel like pain and stiffness and is worse in winter time when it's damp and cold. Keeping the joint warm can help to relieve the pain and discomfort. Often people will have pain in their knees and this is exacerbated by poor lifestyle choices. For example, most people wear 3 or 4 layers on their upper-bodies but only one layer on their legs. This means the legs and joints within them are exposed to the cold and damp, which obstructs energy and blood flow to them causing them to deteriorate and cause pain.
I advise all my patients to wear 2 layers on their legs when the temperature is below 10 degrees. Otherwise, you can buy neoprene supports for joints such as the knee, which keeps them warm.