ACUPUNCTURE, TRIGGER POINTS & PROLOTHERAPY:
SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES
Marc Darrow, M.D.,J.D.
Acupuncture,
although used for at least
5000 years in China, was not well known or widely
accepted as a therapeutic treatment in the Western medical
community, until recently.
Acupuncture is based on
Eastern philosophical premise that all matter is permeated
with energy--called Chi--which flows in patterns in
the body called meridians. An obstruction of these patterns
interferes with basic vitality by disrupting the energy
flow. This is analogous to cholesterol plaques clogging the
precious flow of blood through our circulatory system. The
needles used in acupuncture are inserted into the skin at
precisely mapped meridian points which affect the flow of
the Chi, redirecting or restoring it until the energy flow
patterns are balanced and health is restored. Without
surprise, most acupuncture points have been mapped to be the
exact same points as trigger points. And again, without
surprise, there is a technique to heat acupuncture needles
and use them as Hippocrates did for guess what:
Prolotherapy.
Trigger Point Therapy
also uses needles to eliminate irregularities in the body's normal
functioning, in this case the taut bands of pathological muscle tissue
are known as trigger points. However, tendons,
ligaments
and joint capsules may also refer pain to areas distant from the actual
trigger point. Tender points, which are points that are sore with
pressure or palpation of the doctor’s hand, may also be treated with
trigger point injections or Prolotherapy. Unlike the dry needle of
acupuncture, the trigger point or Prolotherapy needles deliver fluid to
the target area to be treated. By puncturing the tissue, trauma to the
area is caused, resulting in a rush of white blood cells to the area
that provokes a reaction and stimulates the healing process. Frequently,
in trigger point therapy the physician will use a local anesthetic
solution such as lidocaine to relieve the pain as well.
Acupuncture needles act as "magnetic"
attractants to steer the Chi energy into proper channels. However,
acupuncture needles can also be used in a pecking fashion and reach the
same end as trigger point therapy or Prolotherapy. The deep tissue
injection of the trigger point attacks the problem directly, causing
physical changes and subsequent, histological composition of the tissue
provoked by the needle.
Since acupuncture works on the energy
flowing through the entire body, it is effective on all parts including
the organs. At present, trigger point is used exclusively for
myofascial pain and dysfunction.
Prolotherapy
takes trigger point theory a step further, by adding an irritant
solution, like dextrose or phenol to the injection process. This
irritant solution helps speed up the proliferation of new
collagen
tissue.
It is highly effective for rejuvenation of
joints, muscles, tendons and ligaments. Acupuncture, trigger point
therapy, and Prolotherapy are basically variations of the same
therapeutic process, all originating from ancient medical arts, best
known in China and Greece.
Diverse though they are, all three
therapies use needles and all have been very successful, often exceeding
or succeeding where traditional treatments have failed.
Simple but sophisticated, based on
theories of healing dating back several centuries, Prolotherapy has been
honed over the last five decades into an incredibly successful, natural
therapy, proven to correct many of the deeper, structure-related
problems such as chronic pain and
myofascial pain.
Yet despite the overwhelming evidence of
its effectiveness, it has yet to achieve full acceptance by the medical
community. Perhaps it is because, as Dr.
William Faber, Director of the
Milwaukee Pain Clinic and a leading authority in the field of
Prolotherapy, points out, … the substances used in Prolotherapy are not
patented and therefore would not provide the huge profits that
pharmaceutical therapies receive." Nevertheless, the big companies have
nothing patented in the field of trigger point therapy or acupuncture,
both of which are accepted today. Could it be that there is a resistance
to Prolotherapy because it would substantially reduce the number of
surgeries? If this is the case, it is a sad comment on our dollar driven
medical system. Without all of the unnecessary surgeries, would
hospitals go out of business?
