The difference and connection between the effects of acupuncture and massage

As the two most widely used methods in the external treatment system of traditional Chinese medicine, the core logic of acupuncture and massage is to dredge meridians and reconcile qi and blood. The difference mainly lies in the depth of action, adaptability to scenarios and focus on efficacy - acupuncture is better at deep target intervention, regulating chronic diseases of organs and intractable pain, while massage is more focused on relaxing superficial soft tissues and daily stress relief and health care. There is no absolute boundary between the two, and they are often used together in clinical practice. The technical differences between different schools may also break the conventional classification of efficacy.

Last week, I met a young man who works in Internet operations. His right shoulder has been hurting for two months. I used a fascia gun at home and went to a massage parlor to massage it four or five times. I felt comfortable for half a day after each massage. The next day, I was in pain after typing the keyboard for two hours and couldn't lift it. I went for a physical examination and found that it was deep in the infraspinatus muscle. The strained point had calcified, and the force of the massage could not penetrate that deep. I gave him three needles on the shoulder and three needles with weak current. After the first injection, the pain when raising his arm was 70% gone. I also used two deep massages on the meridian muscles to loosen the surrounding adhesions, and he was basically healed within a week.

Many people will ask why massage is not effective but acupuncture is effective? In fact, the essence is the difference in depth of action. Conventional massages that ordinary people think of mostly use force on the skin, fat and superficial muscle layers. Even Thai massage or bone-setting relaxation with relatively strong force will only reach the superficial fascial layer at most, targeting "new and superficial" discomforts such as muscle tension and lactic acid accumulation. Think about it, if your waist becomes stiff after sitting for a long time, your legs are sore after running five kilometers, and you have a stiff neck, you can find a reliable master to rub it for 20 minutes, and you will feel relaxed immediately. This is an irreplaceable advantage of massage - the threshold is low, the body sensation is immediate, and there is almost no discomfort. Massaging Hegu and temples at home can be effective.

But if the problem has persisted for a long time, such as calcified adhesion in the strained muscles, or problems related to organ function such as dysmenorrhea, chronic gastritis, allergic rhinitis, etc., the strength of the massage will not be enough. This is the advantage of acupuncture: metal needles can accurately penetrate into the deep tissues of corresponding acupuncture points, and even directly stimulate adhering muscle fibers and compressed nerve nodes. They can also amplify the amount of stimulation through twisting and lifting techniques, mobilizing the body's self-healing mechanism. Take the treatment of dysmenorrhea as an example. Many girls have tried rubbing Sanyinjiao by themselves, and the pain in the lower abdomen may not be relieved after rubbing it until their hands are sore. However, when a regular doctor pricks Sanyinjiao, the soreness at the tip of the needle can be directly transmitted to the lower abdomen along the calf, and the pain often disappears after leaving the needle for more than ten minutes. This is the difference caused by the depth and accuracy of stimulation.

Of course, not all situations conform to this rule. For example, masseurs from the Jingjin School of Traditional Chinese Medicine will use the tips of their elbows and knuckles to press deep muscle knots at specific points. The force can penetrate into the strain points several centimeters deep, and many stubborn shoulder and neck pains will not appear. Acupuncture can also be cured by massage; acupuncture schools such as abdominal acupuncture and ear acupuncture use extremely thin needles that penetrate only a few millimeters deep. Instead, they focus on regulating the superficial Qi and blood and do not pursue deep stimulation, so there is no need to draw a boundary between the two in a rigid way.

There are many extreme opinions on the Internet now, either saying that massage is an IQ tax and can only relieve an itch, or that acupuncture is risky and can easily damage organs. In fact, they have not found the right scene for it. The core function of massage is "relief", which is more focused on prevention and daily health care. If you take an hour a week to rub your shoulders and neck, it is much more cost-effective than waiting for the pain to be so painful that you can't lift your arm before treatment. The core function of acupuncture is "regulation", which is more focused on solving the already formed lesions and internal dysfunction, such as perennial migraines and stubborn insomnia. No matter how many times you apply acupuncture, it may not be able to cure it. If you insist on acupuncture for a period of time, there will often be significant improvements. As for the risks, as long as it is performed by a certified doctor in a regular institution, both are safe. If you go to a wild doctor who has not received systematic training, massage can also press out the herniated disc, and acupuncture has also been used to remove pneumothorax. It has nothing to do with the method itself.

Speaking of which, these two have never been antagonistic. In our clinic, they are basically used together now. For example, patients in the acute stage of lumbar protrusion are in so much pain that they cannot even get out of bed. Direct massage will aggravate the edema of the nerve roots. At this time, acupuncture will be used for a few days to eliminate edema and reduce pain. After they can get out of bed normally, they will then use relaxing massage on the waist to knead the surrounding tight muscles. The recovery speed will be at least one-third faster than acupuncture alone. Even if you are doing health care at home, you can use it as a supplement. For example, if you feel the soreness and swelling disappear quickly after rubbing Zusanli, you can put a disposable needle on the acupuncture point. The stimulation can last for most of the day, and the effect is much better than simply rubbing it.

When I am tired from visiting a doctor, I will also ask my colleagues to squeeze my shoulders and neck without inserting needles. After all, the warm and relaxing feeling of massage cannot be compared with acupuncture. But if I get facial neuritis due to the cold wind one day, I will definitely give myself acupuncture as soon as possible. Elderly Chinese medicine practitioners often say that "the principle of external treatment is the principle of internal treatment." Whether it is the sharp stimulation of the needle or the warm massage of the hands, the essence is to help you open up the blocked areas in the body and smooth out the twisted Qi. There is really no need to worry about which one is more advanced. It is the best that suits your current needs.