The difference between acupuncture and massage

Acupuncture is an invasive external treatment method that relies on sterilized metal needles to penetrate specific acupuncture points on the human body to regulate the state of qi, blood, organs and nerves by inducing a sense of "deqi"； Massage is a non-invasive physical intervention that relies entirely on the force of techniques or auxiliary tools to stimulate the soft tissues and meridian points on the body surface to improve the physical condition.

Many people think that traditional Chinese medicine can treat externally and unblock meridians, doesn’t it? How big of a difference can it make? When I was working with a therapist at a physical therapy center, I would encounter clients asking this question almost every week. Last week, there was a young man with a stiff neck. He walked in with his neck crooked. He struggled for ten minutes not knowing which one to choose. Finally, he gritted his teeth and did it together. The next day, he shook his neck to say thank you, saying that he no longer had to crook his head to go to work.

Let’s talk about the most intuitive operational differences first. After all, acupuncture requires breaking the skin, and the sterility requirement is very strict. Disposable needles must be used by one person, and the skin of the acupuncture points must be sterilized twice with iodophor to avoid cross-infection. You don’t have to worry about this when it comes to massage. At most, you can apply some essential oils and active oils according to your physical condition. It’s enough to use strong enough hands and accurate points.

Speaking of strength, many people think that massage can replace acupuncture by pressing hard until it hurts, but this is not true. I met an old patient with lumbar protrusion for three years before. The lumbar muscle strain was extremely severe. The deep splint muscle was as hard as a stone slab. Our master pressed it with the tip of his elbow for ten minutes, and he could feel the soreness on the surface. It seemed that the strength was not enough and could not penetrate. Later, he went to an acupuncturist he was familiar with to insert a 1.5-inch filiform needle. As soon as he put it in, he hissed and said that the soreness went directly into the waist and eye, which is where he usually hurts. This is the difference in stimulation depth - no matter how powerful the massage is, it is difficult to penetrate the layers of muscles to accurately hit the deep strain points and acupuncture points, but the filiform needle can do it easily.

Of course, there have always been different opinions in the industry regarding the boundary between the two effects. Most of the traditional acupuncture schools believe that massage can only regulate superficial tendons and muscle strains, but involves visceral disorders and neurological problems, such as facial paralysis, irregular menstruation, and post-herpetic neuralgia. Problems such as facial paralysis, irregular menstruation, and postherpetic neuralgia must rely on acupuncture to be effective, and massage can only be used as an auxiliary. However, the popular rehabilitation school in recent years has a different view. They believe that as long as the massage technique is precise enough and can accurately stimulate myofascial trigger points, the effect is not much different from acupuncture for problems such as muscle strain and chronic pain. It does not have to bear the fear of needles, and is more suitable for people who are afraid of needles.

I also compared it when I suffered from tenosynovitis last year. At first, I went to the master for three days in a row, and the swelling subsided a little, but I still felt pain when I held the mouse. Later, I went to an acupuncturist I knew well to prick the Ashi point on Hegujia's wrist. The needle was left in for 20 minutes. When I got up and made a fist, the pain disappeared by 70%. I have to say that acupuncture is indeed more efficient in stimulating deep-seated points.

However, this does not mean that acupuncture is necessarily better than massage. If you are a person who suffers from acupuncture and faints before the acupuncture takes effect, then massage is definitely more suitable for you. There are also children who have a bad spleen and stomach and have accumulated food. If you give them acupuncture, they will cry out of breath, and the parents will feel distressed. It is better to massage the spine and press the Banmen point. The children will be comfortable and willing to cooperate, and the effect is not bad.

In fact, it is rare to use one type alone in clinical practice now, and most of them are used in combination. For example, a patient with stiff neck needs two needles at Houxi point first, and then loosens the trapezius muscle knot when the neck can be turned, which will make the recovery faster. In the final analysis, there is no distinction between the two. It is just a matter of choosing the right one based on the specific problem and personal tolerance. There is no need to argue about which one is more effective.