Dealing with a Sprain or Strain? Find Out How Acupuncture Can Help

Even a minor sprain or strain can disrupt your life. Walking your dog, doing laundry, picking up your toddler, or other everyday tasks become much more difficult when your ankle throbs with every step or sore, stiff back muscles make bending difficult. If you're eager to get back to normal, acupuncture treatments may be an excellent option. Acupuncture eases the pain of strains and sprains, while reducing inflammation and speeding healing.

The Difference Between Sprains and Strains

Sprains happen when ligaments are torn or stretched. Ligaments are tough bands of fibers that connect the bones in a joint together. Ankles, knees, and wrists are common sites for sprains, according to OrthoInfo.

Strains affect muscles and tendons, causing them to stretch or tear. Tendons are the tissues that connect muscles to bones. OrthoInfo notes that strains often affect the neck, back or leg, particularly the hamstring.

Sprains and strains, no matter where they occur, cause similar symptoms, including:

• Pain
• Swelling
• Stiffness
• Inflammation
• Weakness
• Bruising
• Poor Range of Motion

Sprains and strains vary in severity. A mild strain and sprain may improve after a few days, while a severe injury could take weeks or months to heal.

Benefits of Acupuncture for Sprains and Strains

Acupuncture treatments involve inserting hair-thin needles in the skin to relieve pain and improve the flow of Qi, an essential life energy that flows through the body in a series of channels. Pain and inflammation may occur if Qi becomes imbalanced due to a blockage.

After finding the problem, your acupuncturist targets the blocked channel by inserting needles into specific acupoints. Once the blockage is cleared, your symptoms gradually improve. Most people usually need several treatments to experience the full effects of acupuncture, although you'll probably notice an improvement after the first treatment

Acupuncture treatments offer these benefits for sprains and strains:

• Pain Relief. Acupuncture treatments increase production of serotonin and endorphins, powerful hormones that relieve pain naturally. Acupuncture may also regulate brain networks responsible for pain, according to a clinical update published in Pain Reports in 2024.
• Less Inflammation and Swelling. Although inflammation is an important part of the healing process, prolonged inflammation can cause pain and swelling. Acupuncture reduces inflammation and helps remove excess fluids that contribute to swelling. Acupuncture affects pathways responsible for inflammation, according to Harvard Medical School research conducted on mice.
• Improved Blood Flow. Your blood circulates nutrients, oxygen, and white blood cells needed to repair injuries. Acupuncture treatments boost circulation, ensuring that these substances can easily reach sprained or strained tissues.
• Easier Movement. Swelling and stiffness affect range of motion, your ability to move your joints easily. In addition to clearing fluids that cause swelling, acupuncture relaxes muscles and tissues, making movement easier and smoother.
• More Effective Treatment. Acupuncture used in addition to other treatments could improve treatment results. According to a systematic review published in Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine in 2020, acupuncture could significantly ease pain and improve cure rate compared to rest, ice, compression and elevation (RICE) for ankle sprains. The review also noted that combining acupuncture treatment with RICE was more effective in relieving pain than RICE alone.

Are you struggling with a painful strain or sprain that just isn't getting any better? Acupuncture can relieve your symptoms naturally. Contact our office to schedule an appointment with the acupuncturist.

Sources:

NCBI: Pain Reports: Recent Advances in Acupuncture for Pain Relief, 9/13/2024

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11404884/

The Harvard Gazette: Quieting the Storm, 8/12/2020

https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2020/08/study-reveals-acupuncture-affects-disease-course/

Wiley: Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Efficacy and Safety of Acupuncture Therapy for Patients with Acute Ankle Sprain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials, 10/16/2020

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1155/2020/9109531

OrthoInfo: Sprains, Strains, and Other Soft-Tissue Injuries

https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/en/diseases--conditions/sprains-strains-and-other-soft-tissue-injuries/