There seems to be plenty of evidence that Acupuncture can relieve the pain and some of the other symptoms of Tennis Elbow and Golfer’s Elbow…
And, in that sense, it’s certainly a much healthier, non-toxic alternative to pills and shots – But the big question is…
“Will Acupuncture help your Tennis Elbow injury actually heal?”
Yes, there are a host of things that can briefly relieve your Tennis or Golfer’s Elbow pain, like anti-inflammatory pills, Cortisone shots and ice therapy…
But those treatments (and many others) have no positive healing potential – They just end up suppressing your symptoms temporarily.
And, unfortunately, symptom suppression does not equal healing.
Is Acupuncture different? Does it actually promote the healing and repair of the muscle and tendon tissues involved in these often maddeningly difficult and frustrating injuries?
Honestly, I don’t know – But, since Tennis Elbow is my specialty, I do have an opinion about it, so, I’ll share that opinion with you, and you can decide if it’s reasonable and helpful or not.
For the original article and over a dozen visit my Tennis Elbow Classroom site:
Full, Original Article On Acupuncture and Tennis + Golfer’s Elbow Here
Treatment In The Marin County / S.F. Bay Area
If you happen to live in the S.F. Bay Area, especially in Marin County, please see my article and video about how I treat Tennis Elbow:
Hint: No ice – No “symptom masking” – Just focused, hands-on Neuromuscular Therapies to help your muscles and tendons heal and recover naturally without dangerous drugs or invasive measures
How Does Acupuncture Work, In Theory?
Acupuncture is a technique that falls under the broader category of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM.)
A typical Acupuncture treatment involves the insertion of very thin, filament needles into specific points in the body.
And these points, or places, are along 12 invisible pathways that Traditional Chinese Medicine refers to as ‘Meridians’
The theory is that this intervention can “unblock” the flow of energy – referred to as ‘Qi’ or ‘Chi’ in TCM – which is thought to flow along these Meridian pathways in the body.
And restoring the normal flow of this energy is thought to be essential to healing and the reversal of disease in TCM.
“Acupuncture effectively treats tennis elbow by allowing for a more natural energy (Qi) flow throughout the body.”
“In the Traditional Chinese Medical perspective Qi flows through the body along pathways also known as meridians. Using this principal tendinitis or tennis elbow is like a river that has been dammed.”
Is there any way to measure this with the tools of western medicine?
I don’t think so, however, what has been studied and is how the insertion of Acupuncture needles into the body may have the effect of stimulating the release of Endorphins – The natural pain-numbing chemicals produced by our own bodies.
So, that’s part of the evidence for Acupuncture’s effectiveness when it comes to relieving and managing pain…
But that still leaves us with the question of healing potential; what does it have to do with the healing of injured tendons? (Or the tension and adhesions in the muscles involved.)
There are a handful of medical studies on Acupuncture and Tennis Elbow that look encouraging – Then again, at least one of them had no placebo group, which doesn’t leave it with much validity, in my eyes.
Let’s Look At The Typical Case Of Tennis Elbow:
The nature of the injury is usually ‘Tendinosis’ which is a failed healing state where the tendons are breaking down and degenerating – rather than healing as they should.
And (in my experience and perspective) there is usually a lot of tension and “Velcro-like” adhesions in the muscles of those tendons, which I see as a major causative factor in the injury process.
All of this stuff is very stubborn physical stuff!
So, will sticking needles in these tissues and “unblocking the Chi” reverse this state of affairs?
I want to be open-minded and believe that Acupuncture could have some effect on the healing process – that it could help stimulate healing and aid in reversing that state of degeneration…
And Acupuncture looks like it can be effective when it comes to relieving pain.
Sometimes you just need some relief, right?
But I just can’t see it having any effect on those nasty, Velcro-like adhesions in the muscles.
I’m admittedly quite biased here, but I believe there’s a desperate need (in most cases) for hands-on / ‘Manual Therapy’ to “get in there” and release those muscular adhesions…
And deeply work the tendons to break the cycle of stagnation and degeneration.
This is not only what I do here at Body In Balance – It’s what I teach my student / members (who are too far away to see me in person) in my
Self-Help Programs at my other site, Tennis Elbow Classroom
Again, I’m biased, but I don’t believe there’s any better way to break that vicious cycle and to stimulate tendon healing than by working those muscles and tendons by hand.
Although, there may be a time and a place for some Tennis and Golfer’s elbow sufferers for more aggressive needle interventions, Platelet-Rich Plasma injections, for example
But, personally, I would only consider that if I had proven (by MRI or Sonogram) severe Tendinosis or a tear, which had the possibility of healing without surgery
My Experience With Acupuncture For My “Tendonitis”
30 years ago I suffered a debilitating wrist ‘Tenosynovitis’ tendon injury, which undoubtedly put me on this path to becoming obsessed about Tennis and Golfer’s Elbow!
Among all the usual, useless standard treatments, like braces, icing and ultrasound treatments, I received a series of Acupuncture sessions.
It must have been well over a dozen treatments and, although at the time, I desperately wanted to believe it was helping…
The best it seemed to do was give me some temporary relief from my symptoms, which were not that bad, in the first place – As long as I didn’t try to work…
What I wanted was to heal and get back to work – but it just didn’t seem to help me actually recover.
I ended up having to quit my job and stop doing Bodywork for over a year.
(If only I knew then what I know now!)
But all I really had to go on was the “common wisdom” and the advice of Doctors, which was to take anti-inflammatories, ice it, wear a brace and go to Physical Therapy .
(None of which helped me recover, whatsoever.)
And there was no Internet to speak of in 1990 to help me better educate myself.
Speaking of educating oneself, I’m confident you’ll find this site, and especially all the articles at my Tennis Elbow Classroom site to be the most comprehensive resource on Tennis and Golfer’s Elbow available.
Be sure to explore all the free articles and videos I have here for you as well as my free intro video course:
Tennis Elbow 101 (Scroll down on that page)
Your Local Treatment Option
Again, if you happen to be in the Marin County / S.F. Bay Area, take a look at my article and video about how I treat Tennis Elbow:
