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ACUPUNCTURE,
TRIGGER POINTS
& PROLOTHERAPY:
SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES
MARC
DARROW, M.D.,J.D.
Acupuncture,
although used for at least 5000 years in China, was not well
known or widely accepted as a therapeutic treatment in the Western
medical community, until recently.
Acupuncture
is based on Eastern philosophical premise that all matter is permeated
with energy--called Chi--which flows in patterns in the body
called meridians. An obstruction of these patterns interferes with
basic vitality by disrupting the energy flow. This is analogous to
cholesterol plaques clogging the precious flow of blood through our
circulatory system. The needles used in acupuncture are inserted into
the skin at precisely mapped meridian points which
affect the flow of the Chi, redirecting or restoring it until the
energy flow patterns are balanced and health is restored. Without
surprise, most acupuncture points have been mapped to be the exact
same points as trigger points.
Trigger
Point Therapy also uses needles to eliminate irregularities in the
body's normal functioning, in this case the taut bands of pathological
muscle tissue are known as
trigger points. However, tendons,
ligaments
and joint capsules may
also refer pain to areas distant from
the actual trigger point. Tender points, which are points that are
sore with pressure or palpation of the doctor's hand, may also be
treated with trigger point injections or
Prolotherapy. Unlike the dry
needle of acupuncture, the trigger point or
Prolotherapy needles
deliver fluid to the target area to be treated. By puncturing the
tissue, trauma to the area is caused, resulting in a rush of white
blood cells to the area that provokes a reaction and stimulates the
healing process. Frequently, in
trigger point therapy the physician
will use a local anesthetic solution such as lidocaine to relieve the
pain as well.
Acupuncture
needles act as "magnetic" attractants to steer the Chi
energy into proper channels. However, acupuncture needles can also be
used in a pecking fashion and reach the same end as trigger point
therapy or Prolotherapy. The deep tissue injection of the trigger
point attacks the problem directly, causing physical changes and
subsequent, histological composition of the tissue provoked by the
needle.
Since
acupuncture works on the energy flowing through the entire body, it is
effective on all parts including the organs. At present,
trigger point
is used exclusively for
myofascial pain and dysfunction.
Prolotherapy
takes trigger point theory a step further, by adding an
irritant
solution, like dextrose or phenol to the injection process. This
irritant solution helps
speed up the proliferation of new
collagen tissue.
It
is highly effective for rejuvenation of joints, muscles, tendons and
ligaments. Acupuncture,
trigger point therapy, and
Prolotherapy are
basically variations of the same therapeutic process, all originating
from ancient medical arts, best known in China and Greece.
Diverse
though they are, all three therapies use needles and all have been
very successful, often exceeding or succeeding where traditional
treatments have failed.
Simple
but sophisticated, based on theories of healing dating back several
centuries,
Prolotherapy has been honed over the last five decades into
an incredibly
successful, natural therapy, proven to correct many of the deeper,
structure-related problems such as chronic pain and myofascial pain.
RELATED ARTICLES
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Prolotherapy: Creating
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Dave
Harris, M.D.
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