Acupuncture for Chronic Pain
Article Contents:
Acupuncture was my last resort
Acupuncture was my last resort for chronic foot pain. I badly sprained my ankle during volleyball practice six years earlier, and after the acute injury healed, I was left with an intense stabbing and burning pain in the bottom of my foot. Over the years, my symptoms fluctuated in intensity, but the discomfort was always there. When it flared up, it became debilitating – I couldn’t put weight on my foot without severe pain.
I saw many doctors, physical therapists, massage therapists, and chiropractors with little relief. At one point, my foot was put in a cast for 12 weeks to reduce pain and inflammation, followed by intensive therapy to retrain mobility in my foot. When that didn’t work, I truly lost hope and stopped looking for solutions. Eventually, I was prescribed opioid painkillers to help me manage flare-ups. Through all of this, my mental health took a big downturn. I often experienced too much pain (or fear of pain) to move freely and stay active.
At my first acupuncture appointment, I told my story to my acupuncturist, and she immediately confirmed my intuition that the original injury was a major root cause of my chronic pain. She not only treated the root, but also supported my whole being – my anxiety, poor sleep, and depression were all taken into account. It took many months of consistent treatment before my chronic pain resolved, and along the way I noticed major improvements in my overall quality of life. Week by week, I felt more like myself again. My experience taught me something important: chronic pain is rarely only about the pain.
Pain doesn’t only hurt
Chronic pain is usually defined as pain that lasts longer than the expected healing process, generally longer than three months. It involves several biological changes in the way that the body processes pain signals, such as:
Hyperactive nerves that exaggerate pain signals.
Brain changes that reinforce and quicken pain pathways.
Immune system changes that prolong inflammation and prevent recovery
Chronic pain also doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It ripples out into every facet of a person’s life, significantly impacting financial, social, emotional, and mental well-being. Oh and guess what, all of these stressors also have a role in changing the body’s biology, making it even harder for the nervous system to regulate pain effectively.
It’s an unfortunate double-edged sword. The nervous system’s alarm system, which is essential for protecting us from danger, becomes hypersensitive and begins overreacting to pain signals, leading to stress and even more pain and suffering.
Chronic pain is one of the most common conditions we treat at Boise Acupuncture Co-op, and because of all the ways it impacts the body, it’s also one of the most complex. When we treat patients with chronic pain, we’re not only addressing physical symptoms. We’re also supporting the many ways pain affects a person’s ability to live a fulfilling and connected life.
So, what exactly does acupuncture do?
Acupuncture is a mighty yet gentle treatment that integrates well into many chronic pain management plans. It involves the insertion of thin, single-use, solid needles (they are about the width of a cat whisker) into specific areas of the body to create a myriad of changes to the body’s function. Acupuncture can help to address many of the root causes of chronic pain, such as:
Restoring healthier nerve signaling
Supporting healthy neuroplasticity and proprioception
Regulating the immune system
Reducing inflammation
Promoting blood circulation
Addressing soft tissue imbalances
Regulating the nervous system
Balancing hormones and brain chemistry
Improving mood, mental health, and sleep
If you are interested in digging deeper into research, check out this meta-analysis published by The Journal of Pain in 2018 showing the effectiveness of acupuncture as a treatment for a handful of different chronic pain conditions.
How an acupuncturist understands chronic pain
In traditional acupuncture theory, the body is interconnected, whole, and naturally wants to find better balance and healing. Acupuncture works by influencing Qi (pronounced “chee”) to help restore healthy function in the physical, mental, and emotional body. One way to understand Qi is as the body’s functional energy – the activity, warmth, and movement generated by our internal systems. Every organ, tissue, thought, and emotion has its own Qi, which can either support balance and health or contribute to imbalance and disease.
Pain is often caused by a restriction or disruption in the proper flow of Qi through the body’s channels and organ systems. The goal of acupuncture is to help restore healthy circulation and movement of Qi throughout the body.
Because chronic pain can manifest differently in each person, we take a highly individualized approach to treatment. For example: a treatment for chronic pain following an acute injury will look very different from treatment for autoimmune inflammation, structural conditions like spinal stenosis, or pain rooted in internal organ dysfunction such as uterine fibroids.
When addressing chronic pain in the clinic, we ask you questions to help us understand the underlying patterns of imbalance:
How long has the condition been around? Was there an injury or event in life that initiated the pain?
Which tissues and structures are affected (muscles, fascia, nerves, tendons, ligaments, bones, organs, etc.)?
What worsens or relieves symptoms (movement vs. rest, heat vs. cold, time of day, seasonal changes, and more)?
What other ways is your body showing signs of being out of balance (fatigue, anxiety, depression, sleep troubles, digestive troubles, hormonal changes, etc.)?
As well as questions to help us determine which meridians, channels, and organ systems are involved
We also want to learn how we can best work with you to reach your individual goals. Recovery, remission, or improvement looks and feels very different from one person to the next. After hearing your goals, we will let you know what is realistic within the scope of acupuncture treatment and create a treatment plan that works with your life and goals.
Again, acupuncture isn’t only used to reduce pain, but also to support your entire body, the physical, mental and emotional, to help bring about more relief and balance. So even if you think something feels unrelated to your chronic pain, if it’s significantly affecting your quality of life, let us know so we can work it into our overall understanding of how to best support you and your body.
Treating chronic pain is a marathon, not a sprint
One of the hardest parts about chronic pain is how long it takes to find a pain management plan that provides meaningful relief. Just as chronic pain takes time to reshape the body’s pain response, acupuncture also takes time to create lasting change. Treatment frequency varies depending on the individual picture, but we often remind patients that alleviating chronic pain is a marathon, not a sprint. Consistent treatment over many months is often necessary to create significant and lasting improvements.
That said, there are times when more frequent treatment can be especially helpful. If you’re in the middle of a severe flare-up, we may recommend coming in for acupuncture multiple times a week for a couple of weeks to help calm the nervous system and interrupt the pain cycle. From there, we reassess together and create a treatment plan that feels supportive and sustainable for long-term management.
Acupuncture can also be used preventatively when chronic pain is relatively quiet or in remission. Many patients continue treatment because they notice it helps maintain the balance their body has worked hard to find, reducing the intensity of flare-ups, shortening recovery time, or helping prevent future flares altogether.
Because chronic pain touches many parts of the body and nervous system, many people benefit from a multifaceted treatment approach that may integrate acupuncture treatment and medications, medical procedures, physical or occupational therapy, exercise, mental health support, and/or mindfulness-based practices. And boy, is managing all of this exhausting – emotionally, physically, and financially.
We frequently hear from patients who feel overwhelmed by the amount of time, energy, and resources required simply function in daily life with chronic pain. Luckily, built in to your acupuncture treatment is an opportunity to find deep and meaningful rest and peace. After the points are placed, we make sure you are warm and cozy and invite you to take a much needed break for 25 minutes up to an hour, depending on what feels good for your body that day.
Community acupuncture and chronic pain management
Boise Acupuncture Co-op (BAC) is a non-profit community acupuncture clinic serving Boise and the greater Treasure Valley. We strive to remove as many barriers to treatment that we possibly can. Our warm and personable group treatment room is a welcoming and supportive space for you to show up as you are and feel listened to and cared for through your healing journey.
At BAC, many fully dressed people receive treatment at the same time in comfortable lazy-boy style recliners. By receiving treatment in a community setting, we collectively break through the isolation of chronic pain and take part in the larger mission of making acupuncture accessible for everyone. You may be wondering, “how can you treat my low back pain when I’m sitting in a recliner?” We primarily use distal acupuncture points, or acupuncture points that are located on the lower arms and legs, ears and scalp. These points are powerful, very safe, and easy to access. If you want to learn more about how distal acupuncture works, check out this blog post.
We offer an affordable sliding scale at a fraction of the cost of the standard acupuncture treatment in our area, making it easier for you to experience consistent treatments and stick to the plan you and your acupuncturist have come up with. We are open seven days per week in the mornings, afternoons and evenings, so even if you have a busy life you’ll be able to find an appointment time that works for you.
If you are ready to get started with acupuncture treatment at Boise Acupuncture Co-op, click here to schedule your first appointment. We look forward to meeting you and partnering with you to work towards your goals.
If you would like learn more about BAC, check out our other blog posts here for more good reads and follow us on Instagram @acupuncturecoop for more content.
