Muscle pain is a common issue that affects people of all ages, often resulting from factors such as overuse, strain, poor posture, or stress. Whether it manifests as stiffness, tension, or sharp aches, muscle pain can significantly impact daily activities and overall well-being. In Tokyo, where both modern and traditional healing practices are widely embraced, acupuncture has become a popular and effective treatment option for alleviating muscle pain. This ancient therapy, rooted in Traditional Oriental Medicine, focuses on restoring balance and promoting natural healing within the body. In this article, we will explore the causes of muscle pain and how acupuncture is used as a holistic approach to manage and treat this common condition.
About Muscle Aches and Pains
Because there’s muscle tissue in nearly all parts of the body, this type of pain can be felt practically anywhere. However, there’s no single cause for muscle aches and pains.
Muscle aches (myalgia) are extremely common. Almost everyone has experienced discomfort in their muscles at some point.
While overuse or injury is common, there are other possible explanations for ongoing discomfort.
What are the most common causes of muscle aches?
Often, people who experience muscle aches can easily pinpoint the cause. This is because most instances of myalgia result from too much stress, tension, or physical activity. Some common causes include:
- Muscle tension in one or more areas of the body
- Overusing the muscle during physical activity
- Injuring the muscle while engaging in physically demanding work or exercise
- Skipping warmups and cool downs
What types of medical conditions can cause muscle pain?
Not all muscle aches are related to stress, tension, and physical activity. Some medical explanations for myalgia include:
- Fibromyalgia, especially if aches and pains last longer than 3 months
- Chronic fatigue syndrome
- Myofascial pain syndrome, which causes inflammation in muscular connective tissues called fascia
- Infections, such as the flu, polio, or bacterial infections
- Autoimmune disorders such as lupus, dermatomyositis, and polymyositis
- Use of certain medications or drugs, such as statins, ace inhibitors, or cocaine
- Thyroid problems, such as hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism
- Hypokalemia (low potassium)
Easing muscle aches at home
Muscle aches often respond well to home treatment. Some measures you can take to relieve muscle discomfort from injuries and overuse include:
- Resting the area of the body where you’re experiencing aches and pains
- Taking an over-the-counter pain reliever, such as ibuprofen (advil)
- Applying ice to the affected area to help relieve pain and reduce inflammation
You should use ice for 1 to 3 days following a strain or sprain, and apply heat for any pain that remains after 3 days.
Other measures that may provide relief from muscle pain include:
- Gently stretching the muscles
- Avoiding high-impact activities until after the muscle pain goes away
- Avoiding weight lifting sessions until the muscle pain is resolved
- Giving yourself time to rest
- Doing stress-relieving activities and exercises such as yoga and meditation to relieve tension
When to see a doctor about muscle aches
Muscle aches aren’t always harmless, and in some instances, home treatment isn’t enough to address the underlying cause. Myalgia can also be a sign that something is seriously wrong in your body.
You should see your doctor for:
- Pain that doesn’t go away after a few days of home treatment
- Severe muscle pain that arises without a clear cause
- Muscle pain that occurs along with a rash
- Muscle pain that occurs after a tick bite
- Myalgia accompanied by redness or swelling
- Pain that occurs soon after a medication change
- Pain that occurs with an elevated temperature
The following can be a sign of a medical emergency. Get to the hospital as soon as possible if you experience any of the following along with aching muscles:
- A sudden onset of water retention or a reduction in urine volume
- Difficulty swallowing
- Vomiting or running a fever
- Trouble catching your breath
- Stiffness in your neck area
- Muscles that are weak
- An inability to move the affected area of the body
Acupuncture for muscle pain
How does acupuncture work
According to traditional Oriental medicine, the universe and the human body are two opposing forces namely yin and yang. As long as these forces are balanced, the body remains healthy. Energy flows along certain pathways (widely called as meridians) throughout your body. This continual flow of vital energy keeps the yin and yang balanced. However, when this flow gets interrupted, the interference may lead to lack of function, pain or illness. Acupuncture can release the blocked vital energy in your body, thus eliciting the body’s normal healing response through different physiological systems. In this ancient therapy, specific anatomic sites – widely referred to as acupoints, get stimulated.
The most widely used method to stimulate the acupuncture points is insertion of hair-thin and sterile needles into the skin at some specific points. Heat, pressure or electrical stimulation can further improve the effects. This insertion of needles is considered to correct the imbalances occurring in the flow of vital energy in the body. Acupuncture is thought to alleviate pain, improve digestive function, sleep and overall sense of well-being by affecting hormone levels, immune system, digestive system, cardiovascular system and neurotransmitters. However, according to some medical practitioners, you should not seek acupuncture therapy for a new pain. First, you should find out the root cause of the pain to rule out severe medical conditions, which should be treated immediately, and then see an acupuncturist, if needed.
Acupuncture for Muscle Pain
If you’re suffering from constant muscle pain, life can become really hard. Fortunately, treatment of muscle pain is the top specialty of acupuncture therapy. Acupuncture alleviates muscle pain through different kinds of ways, the most common being insertion of needles into the body. During this therapy, the body releases hormones called endorphins. Endorphins are your body’s natural painkillers, which help you to feel alert, relaxed and mobile. As this is the body’s natural way of alleviating pain, patients who’re running on pain medications can reap the benefits of acupuncture therapy to lower their dose of medications or get rid of them completely. Release of endorphins offers more benefits than just masking the pain. Endorphins let you get relief from stress, which in turn helps the entire body to get relaxed. As a result, the tense muscles that contribute to the pain are no longer advocating the problem.
Acupuncture practiced nowadays, including the diagnostic techniques and acupuncture points, remains the same as it was in the ancient times. However, the needles utilized in modern practice are sterile, single-use-only and made of stainless steel for safety purposes. An acupuncture treatment process for muscle pain should include a complete physical examination as well as a question and answer session. The practitioner may attempt to re-create the pain by asking you to execute the same position or movement that triggers the problem in an effort to perfectly diagnose and alleviate the issue. Then the acupuncturist may want to insert a needle into a certain acupuncture point or exactly where the pain has occurred, which is widely known as an “ashi” point. Both of these procedures are considered beneficial and appropriate within the field of acupuncture. If required, the acupuncturist may add electro-stimulation to the treatment by fastening tiny wires to the needles to deliver small amount of micro-currents to the muscle to make it relaxed.
Acupuncture therapy is hardly painful and a majority of the patients find the feeling quite soothing. However, it’s important that you always go to a licensed acupuncturist for undergoing the therapy. Remember that acupuncture therapy may be beneficial for your condition, but it’s not an alternative to the medical care taken by a physician. So, don’t stop or lower your medication doses without consulting your doctor first.
Conclusion
Muscle pain, whether caused by overuse, stress, or injury, can be debilitating and disruptive to daily life. Acupuncture offers a proven, non-invasive treatment method that addresses the root causes of pain by restoring the body’s natural energy flow and promoting healing. In Tokyo, acupuncture has become a trusted remedy for those seeking relief from muscle pain, offering a natural alternative to medications or other invasive treatments. By targeting specific acupuncture points, this therapeutic approach not only helps reduce pain but also improves overall muscle function and well-being. For those suffering from persistent muscle pain, acupuncture provides a viable solution to achieve lasting relief and improved quality of life.
At Fuji Wellness, we focus on addressing the root cause of your discomfort and work with you to create a treatment plan that promotes healing and long-term relief. Don’t let muscle pain hold you back – schedule your appointment today and take the first step toward a pain-free life.
Fuji Wellness:
- Address: 132-0031 Matsushima 1-chome, 21-14, Tokyo, Japan
- Contact: Click here
- Email: sunnyphamsensei@gmail.com
