Twisted body causing chronic pain

I feel like my body is twisted

It’s frustrating going to doctor after doctor and not getting an answer for what’s wrong with you. Why you are in so much pain and why it’s been going on for so long so I write this hoping that I can help at least one person out there.

One day a patient came in reporting pain going from her neck to her shoulder, her hip, her buttocks, and her ankle all on one side. Being in her 20’s, she is very active and likes to do Peleton almost daily and workouts with a personal trainer twice a week. I asked what they do at the gym and she mentioned deadlifting, lunges and squats along with some upper body work with dumbells.

I did some muscle tests and didn’t find any glaring weaknesses but after palpating (feeling the tissues) for triggerpoints, I noticed that her body was twisted. Specifically, her hips were twisted and I said it out loud and she responded “I FEEL twisted!”

She had been to several doctors and physical therapists but she felt worse and decided to come in and give acupuncture a shot. I knew exactly what was wrong and I proceeded to treat it.

She had triggerpoints deep in her hips and her sacrum (tailbone) was stuck. This is why I always recommend seeing an acupuncturist over physical therapists for dry needling. I do lots of dry needling, I just call it triggerpoint release, because that’s really what it is. This was a case where I had to use both acupuncture meridian points and not just release triggerpoints aka ‘dry needle’.

In her case, it took two treatments and I recommended she stop deadlifting at the gym and focus on core exercises. I know once she gets better at stabilizing her core, she can get back to deadlifting and more intense exercises.

Another client came in a couple months ago with the same issue. In this case, she told me she was hypermobile and the pain was clearly unbearable. She had the same thing going on and I was able to treat it. In her case, strength training is going to be a lifelong commitment. I like pilates for this because of the mind/muscle connection.

Twisted pelvis

It isn’t as simple as this, but the common thread I find in people who are twisted is a very tight piriformis. Over time, a tight pirformis can lead to the tissue surrounding the sacrum (tailbone) getting tight and stuck. It’s not as simple as stretching it out, especially if someone is hypermobile. You will need the release that only comes from an acupuncture needle to get those fascial tissues gliding better again.

My guess is that this can happen in people who sit for long periods of time, leading to weakness in the gluteal muscles. If someone has weak gluteal muscles and/or a weak pelvic floor, then they do something like deadlifts or lift heavy boxes at work, this twist can happen.

Once the acupuncture and dry needling are done, working with a physical therapist and/or a skilled pilates instructor or personal trainer is strongly recommended.

Ted Dugas

If you are here because of a search you did for Ted, it’s with a heavy heart I regret you to tell you that he passed away in September of 2021. I don’t have any details of his passing, I am simply writing this because I know what an important healer he was for so many New Yorkers, including myself. I’m guessing with how privately Ted ran his practice, there was no one to inform his patients.

Ted wasn’t just my acupuncturist, he was my mentor and my teacher. I was one of only two apprentices he ever had. I’ll always be grateful he shared so much of his knowledge with me. He is the reason I am often able to help people when all else fails. He used to call acupuncturists like us, who understood how the entire body is connected and how to resolve pain quickly- “White Elephants”.

The acupuncture world is down another White Elephant and one of the most joyful souls you’d ever meet.

Ted was my introduction into acupuncture, he relieved my pain and got me moving again after years of suffering. A devout Catholic, a talented photographer, he was kind, happy, compassionate, empathetic, smart, funny and a foodie who loved to travel.

Ted was a hidden NYC gem of a healer. Amongst his elite clientele of famous actors, professional dancers, pro athletes and choreographers, there was me- and he never made me feel like I didn’t belong at his side. He said “If you have pain, then you’re a star to me.”

Just like in any profession, there are some people who stand out and deserve recognition for the work they do. Ted saved careers and revived people’s lives by helping them resolve pain. More people should know his name. Ted Dugas was a special, incredibly gifted healer who I will miss terribly.

How To Fix A Hip Impingement without Surgery

What is a hip impingement?

First let’s go over what it is. The definition according to the Hospital for Special Surgery in NYC (HSS), a hip impingement, also known as femoroacetabular impingement (FAI), is a condition in which there is abnormal and wearing contact between the ball and socket of the hip joint. The result is increased friction during hip movements that may damage the joint.

What does a hip impingement feel like?

Once again, according to the HSS, patients often complain of pain in the groin. Many athletes often describe pain in the groin with deep flexion or rotation of the hip during activity. Occasionally, a popping or clicking in the front of the hip is described. 

Symptoms that my own patients have described:

Sciatic nerve pain

Lower back pain

Radiating pain along the side and/or back or even front of the thigh

SI joint pain

Buttock pain

Because of the wear and tear at the joint, you may have lost some of range of motion. Maybe you struggle with putting socks on, bending over to tie your sneakers, maybe going upstairs is ok but going downstairs feels unstable and painful or vice versa. 

My personal experience with hip impingements

Six years ago, I slipped and fell on some ice while walking my dog. I seriously injured my right  knee and while I give all credit to orthopedic acupuncture in helping me heal from that incident,  I made a mistake of not doing any strength training once it was healed.

Because of how hard I slammed my knee into the concrete, for five years that knee no longer fully bent and I always had some sort of instability on my right leg so my left leg took the brunt of all my weight when I walked. Acupuncture helped me remain pain free so I’m guessing I didn’t realize that I was using my left leg as a crutch. I’d get some lower back pain, then get my acupuncture and voila, no more back pain. 

It was like this for years, I felt relatively pain free and I tried many things to keep active- yoga, indoor cycling, some light weight lifting and as the knee injury pain completely dissipated, I pushed myself a little and started taking Krav Maga classes. It didn’t matter what kind of workout, I always got slightly injured no matter how slow I took it and I couldn’t figure out why. 

One day, I started to feel a brand new pain in my groin, butt and lower back that felt different from what I had experienced before. I thought, oh no, what is this now? I opted to not see an orthopedic doctor and instead skipped over and went straight to physical therapy where I was diagnosed with a hip impingement. 

The physical therapist used a strap to basically pull my leg out of the hip socket. A really simple way of explaining what a hip impingement is, imagine if someone turned you upside down, took a giant mallet and hammered away at the bottom of your foot until your leg got jammed into the hip socket. It’s an oversimplification, but that’s essentially what it is.  You can see in the picture above, the fascia (connective tissue) is connecting the femur to the hip. That fascia gets so bound up your leg is kinda stuck in that joint so you can’t quite turn your leg out as easily as you used to, or it hurts every time it bends.

Now, onto How to Fix a Hip Impingement without Surgery

I’m going to assume that you stumbled across this blog post because you have already been diagnosed with FAI.  You're probably wondering if acupuncture or dry needling can help you and the short answer is yes.

If you have FAI, you will most definitely have developed trigger points and/or have muscles of the buttocks, hips, groin, thigh and lower leg that are under-functioning. Trigger points and muscles that aren’t firing as strongly as they should, can lead to pain. I guarantee there is some combination of both happening if you have FAI. Because of this, it is absolutely necessary to get orthopedic acupuncture in order to heal.  However this only holds true for people who don't actually need surgery. 

I have worked on plenty of people who have a slightly torn hip labrum or have fraying in the joint. With my style of acupuncture, these people lead full, happy, active lives. Many people are so impressed with how well releasing trigger points and firing up muscle function works for FAI.  I’m often asked if they can stop or just not go to PT all together. My answer is no, you got the hip impingement because of some lack of strength to begin with. All athletes of all ages, genders and sizes, must put in some work to build foundational functional strength once all the muscles and soft tissue have been treated, so you can avoid this happening again. 

I am one of those people. I enjoy strength training, I can sumo squat, I can lunge and its keeping my hips healthy. I occasionally have to see my acupuncturist to treat any trigger points that show up, but yours truly is one of those cases that healed without surgery. 

WHO TO SEE FOR HIP IMPINGEMENT

Because of my knowledge in orthopedics, I knew to see a physical therapist first but if you’re reading this, you may have already seen a doctor. 

1. In NYS, I believe you don’t need a referral to see one so if you suspect you have one, go get assessed by a physical therapist first.

2. See an orthopedic/Sports Medicine acupuncturist like myself, to treat the muscle and soft tissue.

3. Once that is done, go back to your physical therapist or qualified personal trainer to rebuild your strength

4. Pick some form of exercise that you like and can continue to do so that you can avoid this from happening again.

I’m happy to report that I’ve helped others heal from FAI with a combination of massage and orthopedic acupuncture.  If you are told that you must have surgery, it may still be worth coming in for treatment before making that decision. I can’t gaurantee that you will get out of needling surgery but at least you can put that out of your mind and say you did everything you could to avoid it.

If you have a labral tear in your hip and are getting surgery, I strongly recommend coming in for treatment once the incisions have healed up enough. Your surgeon will tell you when it’s ok to start getting acupuncture.

““When I was told by my doctor that I had a hip impingement, the worst thoughts went through my head. I was in so much pain, all they offered was some physical therapy and some pain medication.  I had already been a patient of Lorraine’s for a while and decided to see what she could do for me in this case. In just two sessions, she accomplished more than in five weeks of physical therapy. My range of motion improved by leaps and bounds and the pain subsided. She’s my go to when anything hurts and she should be yours too.”

— L.G.

Which is better, Dry Needling or Acupuncture?

To answer that question, we first need a quick recap on what the differences are between the two. To understand it more thoroughly, click here then come back when you’re done.

Dry Needling is the insertion of a filiform needle into a trigger point done by a physical therapist.

Acupuncture is the insertion of a filiform needle into an acupuncture point, an ashi point (any painful tender area on the body), a trigger point, a motor point or fascia (connective tissue) done by a licensed acupuncturist.

Physical therapists typically take a weekend crash course in how to needle.

Acupuncturists invest years and thousands of hours in understanding the how and why a patient should be needled and where.

Physical therapists are western medicine practitioners and therefore see the body as chopped up. For example, if a patient has pain on one side of their neck, they’ll stick to treating that side of the neck.

An acupuncturist understands the body as a holistic system and takes your entire body and emotional state as one.

Physical therapists are specialists in pain and some even go further into a niche like pelvic floor pain.

Acupuncturists, for the most part, can treat just about anything that walks in the door from concussions, to headaches and tmj, the side effects of strokes, to mystery nausea that no doctor can diagnose to pelvic instability causing knee pain or an inability to fully perform a squat to toe pain AND they can work on such things as panic attacks, anxiety, insomnia, depression, acid reflux, gerd, infertility, pms, etc. The reason why we can do this goes back to how Eastern medicine sees the body as a whole- mind, body and spirit.

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CASE STUDY

I had a patient message me through Yelp. She lived in Colorado and was in NYC for work. She was 29, very petite and said that her sinuses were so clogged that she was scared to get on a plane for fear that she would burst an ear drum. She said even taking the elevator to her office was painful and she had to return to Colorado the next day.

I thought how bad could it be?

Well, she came in and I could immediately see how swollen her sinuses were, even her eyes were swollen. I asked her to lie down so I could assess her and when I pressed my finger in between her nose and cheekbone, it was crazy how deep I sunk in! She had so much fluid buildup it felt squishy.

I asked her for some background info because the second thing I noticed was how tight and off center her neck was. It turns out she was in a car accident a year earlier, she injured her left shoulder and she had gotten Dry Needling (remember, this is the needling done by physical therapists) at her physical therapist’s office. When I asked her if they had treated her neck and both shoulders at the PT office she said no, they only treated the left one.

Pay attention because here comes the answer to the question “which is better…?”

Now, I as an acupuncturist, a healthcare practitioner who sees the body as whole, recognized that because only her left shoulder had been treated that she wasn’t properly treated after her accident.

It jumped out at me immediately that because her neck was still in this holding pattern (“holding pattern” meaning that it’s still holding onto the tension and dysfunction of the accident) that her head wasn’t in the proper alignment so that her sinuses could drain properly. I couldn’t just treat her sinuses and ignore the neck, shoulders and upper back muscles (everything is connected!) If I had just treated her sinuses and ignored the obvious neck and shoulders issue, the sinus problem would have continued.

I treated all the trigger points and did some electro-acupuncture first, then did a few traditional acupuncture points for the sinuses and followed that up with some lymphatic drainage. None of which she would have gotten at the PT.

We should note that after treating her neck and upper back muscles first, I had her turn face up again and her sinuses were already draining better! I knew I was on the right track by treating her injuries first.

When I finished the lymphatic drainage massage, she looked at herself in the mirror, and had the biggest smile. She said she had always had sinus issues and had an allergist she went to but ever since her accident, the sinus issue was the worst it had ever been. It took someone recognizing that her sinus issue wasn’t just a sinus drainage problem, it was a neck and upper body problem too.

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Now, dear reader, I ask you…which do you think is better?

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I don’t like absolutes when it comes to healthcare. I’m not trying to convince you to abandon all other forms of healing in preference for mine, I just hope that it’s getting through to you that acupuncture is a non negotiable part of the healing process when it comes to pain.

Any and all kinds of needling is the purview of licensed and properly trained acupuncturists not physical therapists. I’ve sent patients to get PT when I see a pattern that is happening over and over again and where the physical therapist’s work shines- in working with patients to correct movement patterns.

Let’s go over one more example to help you decide which is better.

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CASE STUDY

32, Male, 6’5 professional athlete from California.

He came in for a back pain issue once he found out that I knew how to Dry Needle. (to me, dry needle is acupuncture but that’s semantics, let’s continue) He usually gets dry needling done by his physical therapist in LA but with a flight coming up, his back was hurting and he wanted some relief before the flight.

I recognized that he had some muscles that weren’t firing correctly around his pelvis and core. I treated the motor points to get those under-functioning muscles firing again, along with some traditional acupuncture, a little trigger point work and some cupping.

When I finished he said he felt great, then said what i’ve heard over and over again by people who have had dry needling by a physical therapist.

“I got so much more out of this than what I normally get done by my PT”

— Pro athlete patient

He now takes trips to NYC just to see me for treatments.

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Which is better, Dry Needling or Acupuncture?

Acupuncture.

*Done by an acupuncturist who knows how to release trigger points and/or does motor point work. If you are in pain, it’s imperative that you see an acupuncturist who knows sports medicine acupuncture or is an orthopedic specialist like I am.

How to resolve IT band syndrome pain

IT Band Syndrome

IT band syndrome (illiotibial band syndrome) is when you feel chronic pain anywhere between the side of your hip to the side of your knee. Personally, I see this syndrome in a lot of people with pain on the side of their knee, especially runners.

What is IT Band Syndrome?

What doctors call IT band syndrome, is in actuality, a weakness or tight knots known as trigger points in the TFL. But most everyone hears IT “band” syndrome and goes to town on their IT bands with a foam roller.

The TFL, or the tensor fasciae latae, is a muscle that attaches at the hip and merges with strong connective tissue along the side of your thigh connecting it to your knee. It’s that fascia, or connective tissue along the side of the leg and the knee where you can tend to feel this pain so I understand that your instinct may be to foam roll this out but I ask you not to. Not unless you want to feel worse.

Your doctor may recommend physical therapy, which I can’t begin to tell you the countless times I’ve heard about the frustration of going to PT several times a week and still not feel better 10, 12, 13 sessions later. Or they’ll recommend corticosteroid injections or worse- surgery.

Does acupuncture work for IT Band Syndrome?

Yes! I treat it very often. Sometimes the TFL is underworking or not firing strongly enough and isn’t doing its job of abducting the leg or working as a hip flexor. In cases like this, foam rolling the TFL is literally the worst thing you can do. I know this can be an issue for many long distance runners so seeing a sports therapist like myself is the right move for you.

Whether you’re an athlete or not and you have this pain, acupuncture or dry needling, can absolutely help you and get back to running in no time.

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12 Tips for a healthy immune system

I want to start by saying that none of what’s to follow is medical advice, I’m simply sharing what I’ve learned through my years as both a patient of functional medicine and as an acupuncturist. If you think you have the corona virus, please speak to your doctor or go to a testing site in NYC.

I know you may have a lot of fear and anxiety about COVID-19 and with good reason, people have died from complications of it. I truly believe the best defense from this, and any other virus, is the only thing we can actually control right now and that’s nurturing our immune system.

In the media, I don’t see much information being given about nutrition and immune health, so this is what I am going to focus on.

Treatment of COVID-19

Photo courtesy of @hijamajapan on Instagram

In China and Japan, eastern medicine practices such as acupuncture, cupping, tui na and chinese herbs have been used along side western medicine to help patients recover from COVID-19. It’s frustrating that the American Healthcare System hasn’t caught onto just how incredibly valuable Eastern Medicine is.

Years before I became an acupuncturist, I was a patient for a long time. What blew me away about Eastern Medicine is that they had a solution for viruses. I went to see my acupuncturist one day for a regularly scheduled visit and it just so happened that I was coming down with a sinus infection, it’s what I have tendency to catch. She did acupuncture, cupped me and gave me an herbal formula. That night I sweat a ton and woke up feeling completely fine. I was hooked and knew I needed to go down this path as my new career because Americans need to know that there are other options along with Western Medicine, for all kinds of aches, pains and illnesses.

At Northwell Health on Long Island, doctors are giving patients very heavy doses of Vitamin C intravenously. Vitamin C is a powerful anti-oxidant and was used in ShangHai, China to help patients recover from COVID-19.

Vitamin C is easily found in most of our kitchens. I make sure to eat some combination of oranges, grapefruit, cherries, blueberries and strawberries every single day to keep strengthening my immune system. I also drink grapefruit juice, it’s just my taste preference and take a vitamin C supplement every day.

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How to strengthen your immune system during quarantine

We should all be following the medical advice being given so far such as staying home, social distancing, not touching our faces and washing our hands. Early on, we were told wearing a mask wasn’t necessary and while this doctor says that is the case, I feel better covering my nose and mouth since that is how the virus gets into the body. I’ve also read that covering your eyes (I wear my reading glasses) and ears either with headphones (which I disinfect as soon as I get back home) or ear plugs. The most important thing still is to wash your hands and not touch your face.

**Update as of April 3rd, 2020 Mayor De Blasio asks all New Yorkers to wear a mask or scarf.

**Update as of April 15, 2020 Governor Cuomo requires every New Yorker to wear a mask.

1.Get good quality sleep.

Our brains detoxify every night via the glymphatic system, it’s own detox system, but it can’t do that if you’re not sleeping well. If you know you have bad habits, like being on your phone late at night or watching Netflix in a brightly lit room, it’s time to create a bedtime ritual so that your brain gets the message that it’s time to go to sleep. Also, when you rise in the morning, open the window or blinds and let your brain see the sun rising. It’s all about creating a healthy circadian rhythm.

2. Drink tea. Specifically Green tea.

It controls inflammation (inflammation seems to be what is making this virus so dangerous for certain people) and increases the number of regulatory T-Cells that play a role in immune function. I’ve always said Green tea is the king of all teas, its useful not just for viruses but as cancer prevention as well.

3. Drink more tea.

Nature has provided us with her own anti-virals. I’ve been making a tea made of orange peels, ginger, fennel seeds and an onion- yes an onion. The quercitin in red onion makes it a strong antioxidant, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory. I brew about 9 cups of water and add in the skin of an orange or 2, some ginger that I peeled, sliced and smashed with the heel of my palm to get some of the juice out along with the fennel seeds and I added the onion last. I let if boil for at least half an hour and serve a cup several times a day.

4. Eat well.

I have PCOS which means I have a hard time balancing my blood sugar, but it’s been years and I’ve learned what works- keep carbs low and healthy fat/protein higher in all my meals. Blood sugar highs and lows cause stress to the immune system so eating as clean as possible is a good idea right now and most importantly, eliminate sugar from our diets.

5. Fennel seed

One of the signs and symptoms of COVID-19 is stomach upset and diarrhea. But in general, fennel seed or fennel tea is great for soothing the stomach. If you can’t find the tea bags, check the spice section for fennel seeds, that’s what I use.

6. Take supplemental immune boosters.

I have taken elderberry, vitamin C, zinc, vitamin D3 with calcium, N-Acetylcysteine (a detoxifier for lung health) and some others I take specifically for PCOS. The problem with COVID-19 is there isn’t any research on it yet. I know scientists are working on it but what i’ve been hearing so far (and this is just rumor) is that taking immune boosters such as Elderberry syrup creates a Cytokine storm in the body. Simply put, it might contribute to an over reaction in immune response and that’s why people have so much phlegm accumulating at the bottom of the lungs. Our bodies create phlegm to try and trap viruses from going anywhere. The problem arises when our immune system overreacts and starts to damage tissue which is what this particular virus seems to be doing so far, in people who are the most vulnerable. I’m not telling you to not use elderberry, I will always have elderberry in my cabinet but since we don’t have the data to support whether or not elderberry syrup is safe to take during the later stages of COVID, I’m going to err on the side of caution and stick to anti-viral teas and cook meals with a lot of onion and garlic.

7. Use food as medicine.

Please don’t panic if you can’t find the supplements I mentioned. Many vitamins and minerals can be found in foods found right in our kitchens.

Zinc- Black beans, chick peas, meat, chicken (dark meat), pork and seafood such as oysters and crab.

Vitamin D- Salmon, mackerel, sardines and foods fortified with D.

Vitamin C- Kiwi, strawberries, broccoli, kale and tomatoes.

Vitamin B12- clams, turkey, chicken, duck, beef, pork and lamb.

Vitamin B6-Salmon, tuna, halibut, turkey, chicken, duck, hazelnuts and walnuts.

Vitamin A-Cod liver oil, 1 large egg, yellow/orange fruits and vegetables like sweet potato.

Folate- Legumes such as beans, peas and lentils. Green leafy vegetables such as kale and spinach.

Copper- Shellfish such as oysters, clams and crabs. Nuts such as hazelnuts, cashews almonds and legumes like beans, peas and lentils.

8. Healthy gut = healthy immune system.

Probiotics, digestive enzymes, kombucha and fermented foods like pickles, kimchi, miso and sauerkraut. Steer clear of foods you know or suspect you may be allergic to, or have a sensitivity to like dairy, casein, gluten and sugar. Fiber is also really important for proper elimination so if you struggle with constipation, be sure to eat plenty of fibrous vegetables and perhaps use psyllium husk powder.

9. Dry brushing for Lymphatic Drainage.

Disclaimer* DO NOT DO THIS IF YOU ARE SICK OR IMMUNOCOMPROMISED.

The Lymphatic system moves lymphatic waste out of the body and dry brushing before you take a shower, is a great way to get this system moving since it doesn’t have a pump of its own like the heart does. Just make sure to go clockwise when you do it on your stomach because that is how our digestion moves.

10. Meditate.

Ok so this is a tough one for most of you, it’s hard for me too, but we New Yorkers tend to live in a Sympathetic state (flight or fight) and what we need to be is in Parasympathetic state (rest & digest) for optimal immune health.

11. Exercise

There are so many online options for workouts. Sweating everyday is another method of detoxification and important for immunity. Trainers and companies like @doyourumble on Instagram are offering workouts via IG Lives, take advantage of it or check out a trainer, Zuzka, I like below.

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In no way is any of the above to be used as sole treatment of COVID 19 if you get it or think you have it. My intention is just to provide you with ways to strengthen your immune system with the natural anti-virals that we can get from food, supplements and body work.

I hope this information makes you feel less anxious and empowered to be able to help yourself while you’re home.

NYS has launched a COVID-19 Emotional support hotline so please take advantage of it if you need help: 1-844-863-9314

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12. And lastly, feel your feelings. Have a good cry and then find ways to laugh and smile.

It’s important to not feel defeated, and remember that if you’re reading this, you’re most likely healthy and safe at home and that’s something to be grateful for.

Just some suggestions of some sites that I find entertaining when I need a distraction: If you have any to share, i’d love to see them so leave it in the comments section below.

For the animal lover:

https://www.sammanthafisher.com/shop

https://www.shainafishman.com/DOGS/69/thumbs

For those into sarcasm:

https://www.mcsweeneys.net

If you could use a laugh:

https://theoatmeal.com/comics/dog_paradox

https://reductress.com

Download Liz Climo’s (she’s an illustrator) adorable coloring book, I absolutely love it.

For anyone wanting to dive into meditation, spirituality or could use some lifecoaching

https://gabbybernstein.com

https://www.daniellelaporte.com

Stay safe and be well.

What is the difference between dry needling and acupuncture?

Dry Needling vs Acupuncture 🥊

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I get several phone calls/emails a day from people asking me about dry needling and how is it different from Acupuncture. So I’m writing this post to clear a couple of things up. 

BUSTING THE MYTHS ABOUT ACUPUNCTURE vs DRY NEEDLING

Acupuncture isn’t mythical

But Unicorns are

The following myth statements are what physical therapists all over this country are telling you about acupuncture. Sadly, these words are being parroted by patients that either email me or call me, over and over again. 

It’s time to bust those myths for once and for all. 

Myth #1 Physical therapists treat PAIN and acupuncturists only treat energy. 

I get it. You probably don’t know much about holistic medicine so you ask your doctor or physical therapist about acupuncture for your pain. But the problem with this is, you’re getting information about a service that they don’t do, and aren’t trained to do, therefore shouldn’t be your source of information about what acupuncture does in regards to physical pain.

So, here we go, you’re going to hear about it from an acupuncturist but first some history…
Over 2,000 years ago a group of people in China figured out that using needles somehow helped them reduce pain/anxiety/insomnia/improved digestion, etc.

I sincerely doubt these people had words like “fascia”, “posterior chain” and “saggital plane” and so on. All they knew was there seemed to be these lines of energy that criss cross and connect and when needled in a certain spot, people felt better. They had to name these lines something so they named them Foot Tai Yang and Hand Yang Ming and so on.

It wasn’t until the 70’s when President Nixon’s VP visited China and had emergency surgery to have his appendix removed, it was discovered he was allergic to general anesthesia. The hospitals in China use acupuncture regularly, so they used it to numb him for the procedure and it worked! Stunned and amazed he set out to bring Chinese Medicine to the states.

At the same time, China being a communist country, didn’t want its “secrets” of Chinese Medicine given freely to the western world. Eastern Medicine practitioners fled China to different parts of the world. One of them went to Canada and took on an apprentice.

This apprentice renamed the Foot Tai Yang, Hand Yang Ming, etc, meridians to Liver, Gallbladder, Kidney, Lung, Large Intestine as a way for western practitioners like myself, to be able to memorize the information. I think this is what leads people to believe that acupuncturists are somehow taught “magic.” It’s not. It’s just primitive. But just because it’s ancient medicine, doesn’t mean it doesn’t have value. It would be gone if that was the case.

The founder of the school I attended, Tri-State College of Acupuncture, introduced his own style of acupuncture based on the work by Dr. Travell, President JFK’s Doctor. Her work on locating and cataloguing trigger points was combined with Traditional Chinese Medicine and other styles to create Acupuncture Physical Medicine. This is the main style I practice.

Fact:
The fact is, when a needle is inserted into the body, a physiological change happens every single time. The body returns to homeostasis (or yin and yang are back in balance) allowing your body to heal itself. Whether it’s a muscle that releases or your insomnia gets better, there’s always going to be some positive change with acupuncture.

It’s simply a language barrier that differentiates us from physical therapists (when we’re talking about needling).

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Myth #2

Physical Therapists study anatomy, Acupuncturists only study meridians

Fact:
Acupuncturists need to meet certain western biomedical standards in order to practice. Among them are biology, anatomy, myology and pathophysiology along with Eastern Medicine. Acupuncture, after all, is an invasive procedure requiring the insertion of needles. We have to be well versed in what we’re needling into. And yes, of course, we also study meridians.

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Myth #3

Dry needling needles into muscle and acupuncture doesn’t.

“X” marks the trigger point that refers pain to the front of the knee.

ST 31 is an acupuncture point on the stomach meridian, used to treat knee pain that occurs in the front of the knee.

As I mentioned before, hospitals in China utilize acupuncture regularly. I wish I could show you the videos of how deep they needle into the body. I won’t, because I know it’ll just scare you.

I needle all the way down to bone at times. I also release trigger points except that in eastern medicine, we have a different name for trigger points- we call them ashi points.

In these illustrations, you can see how the trigger point (that’s the X mark) that refers pain to the knee is almost identical to acupuncture point 31 on the stomach meridian. Both are indicated to treat knee pain. There are many more points like this on other meridians.

So you see, acupuncture does treat pain and does a great job of it.

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Myth #4 Dry needle and acupuncture are not the same thing.

Fact: That statement is both right and wrong.
Acupuncture can be and is dry needle
-because of the solid filiform needles we use (they are literally dry needles, there isn’t any fluid going in or out of it)
-Acupuncturists needle, at times, deeply into muscle releasing trigger points or stimulating motor points

Dry needle, when performed by physical therapists, could never be acupuncture.

There is a lot more going on in an acupuncture treatment than just releasing tight muscles. Acupuncturists, treat the whole person, not just a leg or an arm.

I blame insurance companies in America for how our healthcare system is set up. PTs have a lot to offer their patients but they have their hands tied by the insurance companies forcing them to have to see a lot of people per hour. If you feel you need or want help with a structural issue, seek out a PT in private practice, they’re worth the investment.

I highly doubt that physical therapists are going to stop needling, they’re doing it because it works. But, I do believe the amount of hours they spend learning dry needling is about to get a lot more regulated. Acupuncturists have thousands of hours invested in education versus PT’s taking a weekend course. Just recently, a Florida court ruled that PTs are not allowed to do dry needling, it’s currently illegal in NYS and NJ.

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There is so much more that acupuncture can do for you than just releasing a trigger point. There’s a reason that trigger points happen in the first place, stress, overuse of a muscle or joint, a traumatic event, blood or yin deficiency (which is basically how eastern medicine views tights muscles- as a lack of fluids in the body). Receiving treatment by an acupuncturist, is also a better experience all together. The environment is usually very relaxing, the practitioner isn’t in a rush to treat 5 other patients in the same hour, they aren’t passing you off to a bunch of staff members that don’t even know you’re name as well as some other stuff like herbs, cupping, gua sha and tui na- all part of a wholistic way of treating you since you are a whole person and not just a body part. 

I hope this information was useful and helped you, as a person in pain, to understand why seeing an acupuncturist, especially one like me that specializes in sports medicine, is a much better choice (when it comes to needles).Comments I get 100% of the time when it comes to comparing my needle work to that of a physical therapist, is usually along the lines of “I get so much more out this than seeing the physical therapist” (regarding needling) or “This was a much better experience than getting dry needling by my pt”

My goal here was just to inform you of the differences between the two so that you can make the best decision about needling for yourself and when talking about it to your friends and family.

If you’re reading this and you’re not in NYC and can’t see me, but want this kind of needling, I recommend you search for an acupuncturist in your area and call them and simply ask, ‘Do you do trigger point or motor point work?’, because if they do, they are the right acupuncturist for you to see, they are pain specialists.

Eastern Medicine is WHOLEistic and

acupuncture is the original dry needle.

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