Which treatment is better, acupuncture or massage

There is no absolute better treatment effect between acupuncture and massage. The two are suitable for different scenarios and each has its own advantages. They are often used together in clinical practice. It is difficult to compare them in the same dimension.

I have been working in the primary physical therapy department for almost eight years. I have been asked this question hundreds of times by patients. The one who impressed me the most was a sophomore who came here last month. He played basketball all afternoon and sprained his ankle. It was swollen like a steamed bun and his feet were so painful that they could not touch the ground. At that time, he was first given two needles in the acupuncture points on the opposite wrist, and he was asked to slowly move his ankle. He was able to walk on tiptoe in ten minutes. He then received three days of gentle ankle massage to reduce swelling, and returned to playing basketball in less than a week. Which one of the two is more effective than the other?

Of course, there are different preferences in the industry. Some doctors prefer acupuncture and feel that it has a deep effect. Like many patients with cervical spondylotic radiculopathy, their hands are so numb that they can’t even hold chopsticks. The problem lies in the edema of the nerves near the intervertebral foramen and the strength of the massage. It is difficult to penetrate into such a deep position. The fine needles of acupuncture can accurately reach the inflammation site, and the numbness can be reduced by half after a few times. For intrinsic functional problems such as insomnia and dysmenorrhea, acupuncture can also regulate qi and blood through acupoint stimulation, which has a deeper effect than simple massage. Many doctors also recommend massage. After all, there are no wounds, and people and children who are afraid of needles can accept it. If you have shoulder and back strain caused by sitting for a long time, and the muscles are as hard as a board, massage it for forty minutes to slowly loosen the adhering muscle bundles. The soreness will be relieved immediately and the comfort will be immediate. Many office workers come here during their lunch break and their shoulders will not feel heavy when typing on the keyboard in the afternoon.

This is not absolute. There used to be an aunt in her fifties who had adhesions around her shoulders for almost a year. She could not lift her arms more than her chest. She had been undergoing acupuncture for more than 20 days and the effect was not good. Later, she came to our department for massage. Every time she performed joint loosening and adhesion peeling, the painful aunt held my arm every time. After only ten times, she could raise my arm above my head to dry clothes.

In fact, these two are like a hoe and a shotgun. No one is better than the other. It just depends on whether it is right or not. If you have deep nerve and organ regulation needs, the advantages of acupuncture are indeed greater. If the superficial muscles are relaxed, soft tissue strain is released, and the experience of massage is And the speed of results is better. We usually prescribe only one type of treatment. They all come together. For example, if a patient with lumbar muscle strain has severe muscle stiffness, he will first loosen the superficial muscles for fifteen minutes, and then inject acupuncture. The effect of getting Qi will be much better.

Many people come to register and first stand at the door and ask me, "Doctor, should I do acupuncture or massage?" I always ask them to sit down and talk about their symptoms, and then touch the tense areas with my hands.