Arthritis is a very common condition that affects millions of people worldwide. People who suffer from arthritis usually feel pain and inflammation in the joints. However, there are different variations of arthritis. The most common ones are rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis and they both tend to cause a huge impact on the person's ability to function normally. After all, the symptoms can vary from mild discomfort to huge, debilitating pain.
One of the things to keep in mind about arthritis is that there are many different treatments to treat it. One of the most common therapies is acupuncture.
Understanding A Bit More About Acupuncture
Acupuncture is part of traditional Chinese medicine and it has been used for thousands of years. Even though it's not as popular in western countries as in eastern ones, it's becoming more and more popular each year. This is mainly because it can treat a wide range of complaints. These include headache, knee pain, lower back pain, neck pain, dental pain, and even pain after surgery. But what about arthritis?
Can Acupuncture Help With Arthritis Pain?
According to some studies, acupuncture can, indeed, help relieve the symptoms of some people, especially in the cases of rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. This can be explained by the fact that acupuncture may have an anti-inflammatory effect. So, when you get an acupuncture session, you may notice the body flow improve and the relaxation of the muscle tone.
However, in other studies, the relief of symptoms didn't come alone; it also brought some side effects and risks.
Overall speaking, most professionals tend to agree that acupuncture can actually help with arthritis pain. However, it has been difficult to conduct serious studies about the topic. The main reason is that acupuncturists will individualize the treatment plan for each patient. This means that it is difficult to get reliable and controlled clinical trials.
Benefits Of Using Acupuncture For Arthritis Pain
According to the Arthritis Foundation, people who undergo acupuncture to treat arthritis report many different benefits. These include:
Side Effects & Risks
As we mentioned above, you need to understand that there is still a lack of studies regarding how acupuncture can help with arthritis pain. This means that you may suffer from some side effects related to the treatment.
Overall speaking, if you choose a good, professional acupuncturist, you should hardly feel the needles being inserted into your body. However, if the professional you picked doesn't have much experience, you may experience nausea, drowsiness, feeling dizzy or faint, bleeding, bruising, or pain where the needle was inserted, and you may even notice that your symptoms are getting worse. In addition to this, if the person performs acupuncture incorrectly, you may still be at more risk. After all, you may get a punctured organ, collapsed lungs, infections from non-sterile needles, and even get an injury to the central nervous system.
Bottom Line
It's important to remember that every treatment has its own risks and side effects and acupuncture is no different. So, ultimately, you need to evaluate the benefits that it can bring to your life and decide if it's worth it.
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