Acupuncture

Saphyre started this discussion · 9/16/2012

I am very excited. Today I am going to start getting acupuncture on my right wrist flexors/extensors. To recap, I injured it back in December when I was still new to pole. I went through 6 weeks of physical therapy, but it continues to give me grief. I started doing the caterpillar, and butterfly within the last couple of months, so obviously that puts even more pressure on the area. It doesn't help that I have tendonitis in the same arm. Did I mention it's my dominant arm? Nuts! I am incredibly disciplined when it comes to heating, iceing, massaging, stretching and strengthening and I have to give myself week long breaks from the pole. I know part of it is due to my age, but I refuse to let this be a factor. This is unacceptable to me. The therapist (who is a personal friend) has assured me that I will be amazed at what this can do for me. There is a very high success rate with this type of therapy. She let me know that I will need to take a few days after the treatment to have absolute rest of the arm, but that is just fine with me if it will help! Wish me luck!!

9 replies

CapFeb · 10/4/2012
I hate to necro a thread, but how did this go for you? I have a friend who just offered me their services half off but don't want to spend the money because every medical professional I know basically rolls their eyes at accupuncture. I have tendinitis in my elbow, and I know it takes an average of 4-6 months to completely recover, but maybe if it worked for you it will work for me too?
Saphyre · 10/4/2012
Hi CapFeb. First , let me say that I absolutely loved your submission for the Veena Scholarship!! Very raw and beautifully put together. Ah! The acupuncture!! It is going extremely well. Even better than I could have hoped for. She uses a 2 step approach, but both are geared towards trigger points and "channels", as they are referred to. First, she massages. This is not your typical massage. She is probing for the problem areas. It is not gentle. She focuses right at the trigger points and right in the joint as well. It hurts like a son-of-a-beeotch! Next come the acupuncture needles. She places them at the trigger points and along the "channels" for that particular area. This also hurts like an SOB, but once they are in place, it calms down. I cannot move my arm when the needles are in because it is painful. She usually works on another areas while the needles are doing their thing. I have issues with my piriformis, so she takes care of that as well. Once the needles have been removed, she does a bit more massaging to ensure things have loosend up. I have had 2 sessions and will have at least one more. Mine is a bit more complex due to my wrist injuries, but the tendonitis relief has been REMARKABLE! I am usually absentmindedly massaging the area all day long, but I am not doing that anymore! Even after the first session, my first day back at class I noticed that my elbow felt stronger. Don't let anyone tell you that this isn't a valid form of treatment. Some doctors still scoff at Chiropratic Medicine too. I believe there is a place for all types of treatment and sometimes even combining them. I see a chiro twice a month, and I get massages twice a month. As I mentioned below, I stretch, heat, roll, strengthen. Once I started acupuncture, the pieces fell into place and I am finally seeing results. Keep in mind I am almost 30 years older than you, so you will probably get even better results!! Let me know if you decide to do it and how it goes!! If yo have any questions, please feel free to ask away! xoxo -Susan
OzarkSiren · 10/4/2012
I love Acupuncture. I got it regularly when I started going into premenopause. I flew through Menopause last year without a hitch. I am a huge fan. My oldest daughter will tell you it helped her get pregnant. Maybe real? Maybe coinsidence? I say it helped. I am a "Medical Professional" and I am a huge Fan of it. I personally practice Acupressure, Reflexology and Meridian Work. Oh yes some my Medical MInded Co Workers roll their eyes but I remind them that some of this used to be part of the Physician's study while in Medical School. Reflexology was called Zone therapy. I say try it and see how it works for you. It is not for everything but definately worth a try.
CapFeb · 10/4/2012
Haha, thanks! I didn't know anyone had watched the video submissions yet, but it's good to know that people here are interested enough to watch submissions. With these sort of things, if I'm not participating I usually will only watch winners and runner's up. But since I'm actually taking the initiative, I've tried to watch all the highlights so far. I've only had time to watch AdAstra's and HyperHorseGirls, but I'm more or less enjoying everyone's support. It feels like the strings of the net that make SV are tightening :3 ANYWAY. On topic; I'll definitely give it a try. Tendinits is a biatch to deal with. I've been trying to strengthen my forearms so I don't get it in my left elbow again, but I don't think I'm doing it right. I haven't SEEN any progress in anything but definition. Basically, it's been like I trade in my 20 year old care for a 6 year old car with new paint and shiney chrome detailing--but in all reality, it's the same car on the inside, just with a different outside. I don't feel like moves are any easier or that there is less strain on my elbow--more or less, the only thing I've noticed that I might be able to count as progress is, when I do anything with elbow extension (we'll say, princess grip shoulder mount) if it feels like there's over stretching of the tendons or the muscles aren't pulling their weight, I'm not in immediate pain and doomed to message my elbow day in day out for the next week. I took some time off of work and am allowed to go back next week, but I'm still afraid of my muscles not catching up to where I am skill wise :/ I'm assuming then, that actupuncture helps circulate blood flow in a specific area? And that's why you feel less pain? More blood flow = faster healing is what I've always been told.
PersianXcursian · 10/4/2012
I had acupuncture done for a couple months at a community clinic (group setting) and it helped for a little bit with my stomach problems but eventually it stopped working. I had a knee injury for a little bit though and I had her put the needles in my knee and it helped a ton!
Saphyre · 10/4/2012
Yes to the bloodflow thing, but it does more than that. I don't know the technical aspects well enough to explain it correctly, so I won't even attempt that. The trigger point massage does quite a bit as well. I would give this a try. I am truly amazed with how much better it feels. I went to class tonight and I finally felt STRONG! Inside and Out!! Persian, I have found that acupuncture has been way more effective for my muscle/ tendon/joint pains than it was for treating my migraines. Similar to your experience with your stomach versus knee injury. Not really sure why that is, but at least I know it is super for backing up my pole journey!
Polewalker916 · 10/4/2012
Acupuncture is amazing and works wonders...not sure of exactly how it works but it does. I am a veterinary technician and I've seen digs and cats come in for acupuncture and they get better. I've seen a dog that couldn't use his back legs be able to again. I've seen weird growths on animals get acupuncture around the area and the growth goes away...it's pretty amazing!! We sometimes do electro with it but not always...I think it's pretty crazy how the needles will not come out until they are ready to. They r literally stuck in the skin and won't budge, then u wait a few minutes and it glides right out. Like I said idk how acupuncture and herbal remedies work on people or animals, but they do!! Animals don't lie :) good luck I hope u get back to normal so u can pole like there's no tomorrow!!!
eilata · 10/5/2012
In Traditional Chinese Medicine there are 12 meridians or channels on your body. The energy in your body (this is what is known as qi) flows through these channels in cycles every day. When someone is experiencing pain or symptoms like headache or gas and bloating those are signs that the energy and blood in his or her body is not flowing smoothly. Pain is often attributed to qi and blood stagnation - meaning it is stuck somewhere. The fact that it is stuck is what causes pain. Acupuncture and herbs are the tools TCM practitioners use to get the qi and blood flowing through the channels smoothly. The 12 channels are each connected to different organs in the body (lung, large intesting, stomache and spleen....). As an example-if someone is experiencing diarrhea or fatigue that is a sign that there is a spleen qi deficiency. The spleen is not strong enough, ie it doesnt have enough energy/qi to be able to digest food the way it should, because it can't digest food the person is not getting energy from the food and thus having the symptom of fatigue is very common with a spleen qi deficiency. In this example the acpuncturist would choose points and herbs that would tonify and support the qi. The idea is to keep the body balanced and the energy moving smoothly so that everything can work effeciently. TCM can treat anything. There isn't a problem that you have that ur acpuncturist can't help with. Keep in mind you can't replace western medicine with TCM. If my appendix was about to burst or I broke a bone I would go to a western doctor and get treatment first. I would then use acupuncture to help with the pain management and healing process. It is a great compliment to western medicine. Another thing to keep in mind, if you have a chronic problem it will take longer to treat, sometimes needles work better than herbs and sometimes herbs work better than needles. Your acupuncturist should work with you to figure out what styles of treatment work best for you. Generally speaking Acupuncture is fairly painless, though everyone is different. Some people feel nothing, some people feel everything. Practitioner vary as well-some have strong needle stimulation techniques and the insertions might hurt a bit while others have gentle needle stimulation techniques and you might not feel anything at all. Typically people feel the needle go in and maybe the arrival of qi or energy to the point(this can feel like a zing, a lil electric rush, a warming sensation, a twitch or like all of a sudden things feel like they are moving) but after that the sensation dissipates. In fact if it continues to hurt you should tell your acpuncturist. It is important that once the needles are in you do not move. Lots of points are between bones and tendons and movement after needle insertion can cause pain or injury. During my first experience with acupuncture I did not like the practitioner and felt like it wasn't really helping. I tried it a second time with a different practitioner and saw amazing results. It helped me so much I decided to study acupuncture myself, so don't just go to the first acupuncturist you meet. Ask friends for referrals and try a few out. Every practitioner has a differnt style. The World Health Orginization has a whole list of diseases that they recognize Acupuncture as being an effective treatment for(the list is based on research). If you google it you will quickly find lots of info. There are a few books that are always recommended when people are interested in understanding the basics of acupuncture, one is "The Web That Has No Weaver," and the other is "Between Heaven and Earth: A Guide To Chinese Medicine." That was just a lil taste of TCM but I hope it helped answer some questions.
Saphyre · 10/5/2012
Thanks eilata! All I can say is that it works! My practitioner is fantastic. She explains everything to me as she goes along, and my results have been nothing short of amazing. I totally agree that there is a time for Western medicine and a time for Eastern medicine. I am fortunate to be open minded enough to reap the benefits of both worlds. My attitude about everything in life is balance and moderation. I admire that you have taken this on. It helps so many people!