How Acupuncture Helps with Pain Relief
For many people living with pain, conventional treatments offer only short-term relief. Whether it's persistent lower back pain, arthritis, headaches, or post-injury discomfort, the frustration of recurring pain can significantly affect your quality of life. This is where acupuncture — a time-tested therapy with thousands of years of clinical use — offers a unique and valuable approach.
In this blog, we’ll explore how acupuncture works to relieve pain, what modern research shows, and how Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) understands the deeper patterns behind pain.
Understanding Pain: A Quick Look at the Mechanism
From a biomedical perspective, pain is a complex sensory and emotional experience involving the brain, spinal cord, and nervous system. There are two main types:
Nociceptive pain – caused by tissue damage or inflammation (e.g., arthritis, sprains)
Neuropathic pain – caused by nerve damage or dysfunction (e.g., sciatica, migraines)
When injury occurs, the body releases chemicals like prostaglandins and cytokines, which sensitize nerves and trigger pain signals to the brain. Chronic pain can also result from dysregulated pain signaling, where nerves remain hypersensitive long after healing should have occurred.
This is where acupuncture plays a powerful role — both locally (at the site of pain) and systemically (through the brain and nervous system).
Acupuncture Mechanism Theory
How Acupuncture Relieves Pain: Biomedical Insights
Modern research shows that acupuncture modulates several biological processes involved in pain:
Neurochemical Regulation
Acupuncture stimulates the release of endorphins, enkephalins, and dynorphins — the body’s natural opioids that reduce pain and elevate mood [1]. It also affects serotonin and dopamine pathways, which influence the emotional response to pain [2].
Reduced Inflammation
Studies have found acupuncture reduces levels of inflammatory markers (e.g., TNF-α, IL-6) and promotes anti-inflammatory responses [3].
Improved Blood Flow
By dilating local blood vessels, acupuncture enhances circulation at the site of injury or tension, promoting oxygenation and tissue repair [4].
Neuromodulation
Acupuncture affects the central nervous system, including the spinal cord and brain, to dampen pain perception and reorganize maladaptive neural patterns — especially in chronic pain conditions [5].
The TCM View: Treating the Root, Not Just the Pain
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), pain isn’t viewed as an isolated symptom. Instead, it’s understood as a sign that something deeper in the body is out of balance — much like how a dashboard warning light doesn’t just mean the light itself is broken, but that something beneath it needs attention.
Rather than just numbing the sensation of pain, acupuncture aims to address the underlying cause — which could relate to circulation, stress, immune response, or long-term wear and tear.
Here are a few of the most common TCM “patterns” that explain why pain shows up in different ways:
Qi and Blood Stagnation (氣血瘀阻)
The body's energy and circulation aren’t moving properly.
People with this pattern often describe their pain as sharp, stabbing, or fixed in one spot — and it often gets worse when pressed. This could be due to old injuries, poor posture, or stress slowing down circulation. Imagine a traffic jam in the body — everything gets backed up, and pain is the result.
Cold-Damp Obstruction (寒濕痹證)
The body is being weighed down by “dampness” and cold.
This pain feels heavy, achy, or stiff, and may worsen in cold, rainy, or humid weather. You might feel like your joints just don’t move the way they used to — especially first thing in the morning. Think of it like trying to move through waterlogged sand — everything feels heavier and less fluid.
Liver Qi Stagnation (肝氣鬱結)
Stress and tension are disrupting the body’s flow.
This often shows up as tight neck and shoulders, headaches, or migraines, and is commonly seen in people under pressure or stuck in "fight or flight" mode. You feel wired, tense, and like your pain gets worse when you’re emotionally triggered.
Kidney Deficiency (腎虛)
The body’s foundational energy is depleted.
This is usually a more chronic, dull, or deep pain, often felt in the lower back, knees, or joints. It tends to show up with age, long-term stress, or exhaustion. Think of it like running on a drained battery — everything works, but not efficiently.
Through acupuncture, we aim to restore movement, warmth, and balance to these internal systems — not just masking the pain but correcting the dysfunction behind it.
There’s an old saying in Chinese medicine:
“Where there is blockage, there is pain; when there is free flow, there is no pain.” (不通則痛，通則不痛)
In other words, once we help the body flow and communicate properly again — pain naturally resolves.
The famous saying in Chinese medicine, “Where there is blockage, there is pain; when there is free flow, there is no pain” (不通則痛，通則不痛), perfectly summarizes this approach.
Common Pain Conditions Acupuncture Assists With
Research and clinical experience support acupuncture’s use in treating:
Lower back pain
Neck and shoulder tension
Sciatica and nerve pain
Arthritis and joint pain
Headaches and migraines
Menstrual pain
Post-surgical recovery
Fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue
Many people notice improvements after just a few sessions — and unlike medications, acupuncture doesn’t just mask the pain. It aims to retrain your body and restore natural function.
Final Thoughts
Acupuncture bridges both ancient wisdom and modern science. Whether you're dealing with recent injuries or long-standing chronic pain, it offers a natural, drug-free option to help you move better, feel lighter, and function with less discomfort.
By addressing not just the site of pain, but the systemic imbalances behind it, acupuncture provides lasting relief — not just symptom suppression.
If you're looking for a gentle, results-based approach to pain, acupuncture may be the path forward.
References
Han, J. S. (2004). Acupuncture and endorphins. Neuroscience Letters, 361(1-3), 258–261. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neulet.2003.12.019
Zhao, Z. Q. (2008). Neural mechanisms of acupuncture as revealed by functional magnetic resonance imaging. Autonomic Neuroscience, 157(1-2), 77–81. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.autneu.2010.04.002
Kavoussi, B., & Ross, B. E. (2007). The neuroimmune basis of anti-inflammatory acupuncture. Integrative Cancer Therapies, 6(3), 251–257. https://doi.org/10.1177/1534735407305892
Sandberg, M., Lundeberg, T., & Lindberg, L. G. (2003). Effects of acupuncture on skin and muscle blood flow in healthy subjects. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 90(1-2), 114–119. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-003-0872-0
Napadow, V., et al. (2007). Brain correlates of acupuncture: A functional MRI study. Human Brain Mapping, 28(3), 226–233. https://doi.org/10.1002/hbm.20270