Are there any differences between the effects of acupuncture and massage

To put it simply, both belong to the category of external treatment of traditional Chinese medicine, but the level of action, adaptation issues, and the pace of results are quite different. I have been running a physical therapy center in the community for almost seven years, and I use these two tools interchangeably every day. I am very familiar with them.

The young man who came here last week to do back-end development had a shoulder and neck that was so stiff that it hurt when I touched it. It hurt even when I turned my head, and my temples were throbbing. I didn’t dare to get acupuncture for the first time, so I chose essential oil to open my back. After I applied it, I could turn my neck 70 to 80%. I was so happy. However, the next day after sitting at work for two hours, I felt stiff again. The second time he came here hesitantly tried acupuncture, so I inserted a few pinched nodes on the Jianjing, Tianzong and trapezius muscles. When leaving the needles, I added a baking lamp for 20 minutes. After removing the needles, the range of motion of his neck was fully opened on the spot. After that, it didn't feel tight anymore for three days. I was surprised that there was such a difference.

In fact, if you give an analogy, you will understand. Massage is like loosening the soil on the surface of the hardened land. The strongest force will penetrate into the superficial layers of the muscles. The soreness and fatigue that have just been accumulated will be loosened quickly after the massage, which is more cost-effective. Acupuncture directly sends needles to the deep muscles and even to the blocked points in the fascia and bone seams. It is equivalent to drilling irrigation holes deep into the soil layer. Even the deep knots that have been stuck for a long time and the pain involved in other parts can be connected to relieve you.

Of course, this does not mean that acupuncture is necessarily better than massage. Many regular customers like to come here for an hour every week, saying they just like the warm and relaxing feeling on their bodies and have no underlying problems that warrant acupuncture. There has been controversy in the industry. Many people think that the effects of acupuncture are mostly psychological suggestions. I have also encountered several clients who fainted from the needles or were particularly weak in energy and blood. They felt dizzy and lacked energy after the injection. It was not as comfortable as gentle massage. Previous surveys in the industry also mentioned that for long-term intervention of chronic fatigue syndrome, the improvement rate of regular massage every week is nearly 20% higher than that of acupuncture once in a while. Not to mention that during the first 24 hours of an acute sprain, the swelling was already there, and a little careless massage would aggravate the leakage. Instead, a needle was inserted into the distal acupuncture point, which relieved the pain and reduced the swelling faster.

I now pinch the muscle layer before arranging projects for clients and ask about their usual symptoms. I never recommend which one is better. After all, the one that suits me and can actually solve the problem is the one that is really useful, right?