Which is better to do acupuncture or massage first

In fact, there is no unified "optimal order". The core depends on the current physical state and conditioning needs. There is no conclusion that who comes first and who comes last is definitely better. I have been in the physiotherapy department for almost ten years. This question has been asked by patients no less than a hundred times, and I have encountered various situations. Last week, a young man who works in Internet operations came here. His shoulders and neck were as stiff as dried bacon. He could turn his head less than 30 degrees. His trapezius muscles felt so hard that it hurt his hands. In this case, I usually give him a 15-minute local relaxing massage first to wrap up the tightness. The muscles at the acupuncture points should be rubbed open before acupuncture is applied. Otherwise, it will not only hurt when the needle is inserted, but also slow down the breathing, and the effect will be compromised. This is also the idea of ​​"relaxing muscles before acupuncture" recognized by many colleagues. When the muscles are relaxed and the sensitivity of the acupuncture points is increased, the effect of acupuncture can be fully exerted.

But not all situations are suitable for massaging first. I recently received an uncle who had an acute lumbar sprain. His waist moved when he was moving a flowerpot. The pain was so painful that he could not lie flat, and he gasped when he touched his waist. At this time, if he massaged his waist first, it would easily aggravate the local edema and make the pain worse. I pierced his philtrum and heel first. After twisting the two acupuncture points of Xi for half a minute, the uncle said that the pain was much lighter and the muscles were not so tight. At this time, he did a light massage to relax the deep spasm muscles, and the recovery speed was much faster. This is also the view of another school: in the acute pain period, it is safer to use acupuncture to relieve pain and spasm, and then massage.

To put it bluntly, the order of the two is like whether to loosen or water before watering flowers. If the soil is so hard that it clumps and the water will run away along the cracks, you must loosen it first and then water it; If you just do health care on a daily basis and have neither acute pain nor severe muscle tension, you can choose the order at will. If you are afraid of acupuncture pain, massage and relax for a while first. It will not be easy for you to feel faint after relaxing the whole body. If you have good tolerance, massage after acupuncture can also help to smoothen the flow of qi and blood stimulated by acupuncture, and the soreness and swelling after acupuncture will disappear quickly.

Finally, I would like to remind you that if you have skin damage, local acute inflammation or serious underlying diseases, don’t make random orders by yourself. Explain your condition clearly to the doctor who performs the surgery in advance. The best one is best for you.