Acupuncture and Chiropractic Care

What Is Acupuncture?
Through common misconception, many associate acupuncture with intimidating needles or painful poking and prodding. Ironically, acupuncture is a century-old practice meant to restore your balance of energy along meridians of the body. Dr. Jennifer Rathmann of the Tuck Chiropractic Clinic in Blacksburg states:
“Similar to blood vessels and nerves that flow through your body, there are channels of energy or what the Chinese call ‘Chi.’ Sometimes there is too much or too little chi and the needles stimulate the points with the most abundant areas of chi to regulate it.”
Acupuncture is performed to unblock or rebalance the flow of energy throughout the body through a series of thin needles placed strategically along meridians of the body. Needles used in this technique are relatively pain-free with the purpose of reducing chronic pain in a natural way.
How Does It Work?
The beginning steps of acupuncture start with a medical exam, rather than an actual procedure. During this exam, questions about pain level, health and overall function are asked. After, your care provider or chiropractor will look for places on your body where chi is potentially blocked.
Using landmarks across the body, thin needles are placed along meridians. While some are placed deeper than other, several needles are used to restore the sense of chi. Treatment times range from 15 minutes to an hour, dependent upon personal needs. On average, a treatment lasts about 20 minutes.
Medical professionals at the Tuck Chiropractic Clinic in Blacksburg use a technique called “Surround the Dragon.” This technique stimulates points around the area of pain with the belief that providing an external stimulus to the muscles causes them to relax. According to Dr. Rathmann, “there is also a pattern called ‘Master Energy’ points which help regulate the chi and are often effective for the relief of stress, anxiety, fatigue and improvement of general overall well-being.”
What Are the Benefits of Acupuncture?
Acupuncture is a great option to consider for anyone suffering from chronic back and neck pain, migraines or headaches, joint pain, or shoulder pain. We always suggest a conservative care model, that avoids drugs or medication if at all possible.
According to the Archive of Internal Medicine, acupuncture has proven to reduce chronic pain by up to 15% when used for a variety of pain sources, primarily chronic back pain. This pain can result from physical stress, poor sleeping habits, past injuries, pregnancy, or muscle tightness.
In addition to physical pain relief, this treatment can increase mood, regulate sleep and improve the overall immune system. Finally, well-placed needles have proven to boost immune cells that seek out or destroy infection. Collectively, acupuncture improves overall wellness through the use of meridians along the body.
Where Can I Receive Treatment?
Acupuncture is an alternative technique that few medical professionals can provide. Tuck Chiropractic Clinic offers an assortment of treatment options for pain, one of which is acupuncture. Tuck Chiropractic Clinic offers acupuncture at its’ Blacksburg location for those looking for relief outside of traditional methods.
If you’re interested or have question about acupuncture, contact us and make the first step to a healthier lifestyle today!