Massage vs Acupuncture

Ever had some stubborn pain that just won’t go away? No matter how many doctors you visited and medications you took it never fully recovered?

I know I did!

After a lot of clinic appointments, check-ups, and hundreds of hard-earned bucks spent, I was ready to give up on getting better, and that’s until a good friend of mine suggested trying body therapy, but it was a hard choice between massage and acupuncture.

So today, I’ll be presenting you with all the information you’ll need before booking your first acupuncture or massage therapy session.

A Better Understanding of Pain

Before explaining how both techniques work, you first need to know how healthcare professionals identify your pain and the diverse potential grounds for it.

Usually, clinicians ask their patients some questions mainly to identify the involvement of nerves in the pain. One of the most well-known and familiar questions is to ask if the pain is “acute and stabbing” or “dull and chronic”.

Well typically, if your answer here is the sharp pricking or stabbing sensation in a certain area, or numbing in some other points, that’s an indicator that nerves here are the main culprit behind the pain.

However, a mild but persistent pain sensation that occurs while moving and twisting of the body, which sometimes causes limitations to limbs activity, is usually correlated to the musculoskeletal system.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture is one of the oldest tricks in the book. It’s a major healing technique in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) that has been used and proven to be effective by millions of people, over thousands of years, for all types of aches and pains.

The Origin And Science Behind It

Originated in China around 2000 years ago, the ancient healers discovered the therapeutic effect of stimulating some specific points in the human body.

At the time they thought that if blood and inner energy (Chi) aren’t flowing properly, they can be a reason for pain and illness.

However, they believed that acupuncture regulates the energy and blood flow through the human body, which aids in the recovery process from aches and sickness.

Initially, they used sharpened stones and bamboo sticks to deeply target these points, all the way until they reached actual puncturing of the body at targeted spots with thin needles.

Acupuncture Safety

Although acupuncture is considered generally safe when done by appropriately trained professionals using clean single-use needles, accidents and infections can occur due to poor sterility and hygiene if the acupuncturist isn’t qualified or careful enough while practicing.

Consequently, this calls for the acupuncturist to be well trained and educated. After earning a bachelor’s degree, a 3-year post-graduate master’s degree in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine is required to become a licensed practitioner in some states.

The Health Benefits

While acupuncture needles aren’t actually inserted into the nerves themselves, they do have a huge impact on how they function. Needles enhance the flow of blood through the nerves, promoting and expediting the healing process.

This is why acupuncture is known to have a highly prominent healing effect on pain and aches related to the nervous system, so as we mentioned above if your pain is stabbing or numbing, then acupuncture is your way to go.

Moreover, as per many acupuncturists and health reports, they believed that acupuncture can help in relieving the side effects caused by chemotherapy, such as edema and post-radiation burns.

Acupuncture is also believed to have healing properties to acute painful conditions, such as sprained ankles, toothaches, post-operational pain, relieving headaches, and general body discomfort.

Furthermore, according to the World Health Organization, since the nervous system is connected to other body systems, acupuncture can also be used to relieve pains associated with respiratory, digestive, reproductive, and mental disorders.

Keep in mind that acupuncture isn’t a direct treatment to illness, but rather a potent pain-relieving procedure, with longer-term effects compared to painkillers, ditching all their side effects as well.

Massage Therapy

Since the dawn of history, massage therapy has been established in Egyptian, Chinese, South Asian, and Indian cultures, all the way to Roman and Greek empires.

How it Works

It depends on manual manipulation of body muscles, kneading of the connective tissue, and applying pressure on different spots within the body to relieve muscular pain and discomfort.

With different styles and techniques, masseuses utilized their hands, elbows, feet, forearms, and other external aids, such as natural oils, waxes, hot stones, and rolling logs.

The Health Benefits

Massages weren’t only meant to be therapeutic, as in many cases, they were intended to help the body achieve a more relaxed physical and mental state in a short amount of time.

A short massage break at work can help relieve stress and pain, as well as boost your creativity levels. It enhances blood circulation through the body and increases blood flow through the brain.

On the other hand, therapeutic massages are usually intended to relieve pains in muscles and joints caused by injuries, as well as reduce inflammation, and induce sleep in case of insomnia.

Although massage isn’t the ideal method to treat acute stabbing pain, it has a great effect on mild chronic pain conditions and speeding up recovery time of sore muscles.

Which is Better for You?

Before answering this question, you need to know that it has been the subject of tons of research throughout the years.

For example, the research conducted by Dr. Dominik irnich on 177 individuals to compare both techniques.

The debate has been going over the years until they came to the realization that having the best of both worlds is actually the optimal way of addressing the issue, as it maximizes the benefit received.

You’ll also be delighted to know that you can have a massage right after acupuncture, which is often called an integrated therapy session. Nothing beats having practitioners working together to achieve an unmatched treatment for you!

Final Words

That being said, hopefully, you now have a better understanding of the nature of your pain, and the possible physical therapies offered to treat it.

Therapists will provide you with a carefully prepared treatment plan based on your desired target of the sessions.