Which treatment is more effective, acupuncture or massage?

After 12 years of clinical experience in TCM external therapy, I am often asked this question. To be honest, there is no absolute distinction between superior and inferior. It all depends on the symptoms and personal tolerance.

A while ago, I saw a courier who was in his 20s. He twisted his waist while delivering a package. He was in so much pain that a colleague carried him in. It had only been less than 24 hours since the onset of the disease. The muscles on both sides of his waist were so swollen and hard that he could not touch him. If you apply blind pressure during this acute edema stage, it will easily aggravate the leakage of tissue fluid and actually delay your recovery. I pricked the pain point on his lower back, inserted a few drops of blood on both sides, and left the needle on for fifteen minutes. When the needle was removed, he could walk slowly while holding his waist, and said that the pain was reduced by half. This is the advantage of the distal acupuncture adjustment, which can be effective without touching the affected area.

But if it were the designer girl who came last week, the situation would be completely different. She stayed up late every day to finish the manuscript, and her shoulders and neck had been stiff for almost half a year. Her trapezius muscles felt as hard as old, sun-dried bark, and were so sore that she couldn't even lift her arms. However, there was no obvious tingling, and she just felt heavy and stuffy. She was afraid of needles, and she immediately ducked back when she was told to stick them. I used rolling and dialing to slowly loosen her shoulders and neck for 40 minutes, and slowly kneaded away the cords stuck in the muscles. After I finished, she shook her neck and said it felt like two lead weights had been removed from her shoulders. She was so comfortable that she almost fell asleep. The massage was much more satisfying and receptive to the relaxation needs of chronic muscle strain.

In fact, there have been different trends in the industry for so many years. Many veteran doctors who have been practicing acupuncture all their lives believe that the stimulation of acupuncture can penetrate deep into the meridians and even regulate the organs. It has more sustainable effects on pain caused by nerve entrapment, organ imbalance, and chronic diseases. Massage can only reach the muscle fascial layer, which can only be regarded as "treating the symptoms."”； There are also massage masters who do not agree with this statement, saying that the touch of human hands cannot be replaced by cold needles. Where there are adhesions and small joint dislocations, you can find them with your fingers. Loosen the adhesions, correct the dislocations, and connect the qi and blood. The problem will naturally be solved. Needles are external stimuli after all, and some people are dizzy and afraid of pain, so the applicability is not that wide.

I have been in clinical practice for so long, but I feel that both are good things passed down from our ancestors, and there is no need to compare them. For example, when I encounter an elderly person with chronic knee arthritis whose knee hurts so much that he can't go downstairs, I usually first prick the inner knee hole, Yanglingquan, and Xuehai to suppress the pain in the acute stage, and then use techniques to loosen the tight quadriceps and hamstring muscles around the knee, and adjust the alignment of the lower limbs, which can help recover much faster than acupuncture or massage alone. If you are really confused about which one to choose, it is better to find a reliable practitioner to explain your situation clearly. The one that suits you will have the best effect.