Do stiff knees, swollen joints and chronic pain stop you from enjoying your retirement? Could Acupuncture be the answer to getting back your life of leisure?
Retirement is one of the joys of life where we look forward to doing the things we couldn’t do while working but this dream can only be lived if we are well which means feeling happy, engaged and content in all areas of life; socially, emotionally, psychologically, environmentally, spiritually and physically (Schuster et al., 2004). This, however, is not the reality for over three quarters of people who reach retirement age as they suffer from chronic diseases (Caughey et al., 2008). One of the most prevalent of these diseases is arthritis which along with pain causes inflamed joints and limits mobility that restricts the ability to engage in leisure activities (Payne et al., 2006).
At present arthritis symptoms are treated with pain relieving medication which works for some but not others. In a survey on treatment for arthritis half of those interviewed said that they refused to take their pain pills as they felt as though they were already on too much medication and expressed concern about the dangers of mixing drugs(Sale et al., 2006). This demonstrates the need for an alternative answer which may come from the world of complementary medicine in the form of acupuncture.
This healing technique involves inserting fine needles into the skin along points in the body known as trigger points. When these points are stimulated by manipulating the needle though tapping and flicking they move stagnated energy, which causes disease, to flow(Chen and Yu, 2003). The idea behind this healing modality comes from the Taoist concept that balance is needed in all things for them to prosper. It is this equilibrium that the therapist aims to bring about in the body when treating the individual with acupuncture (Beal, 2000).
There are many different forms of acupuncture and the majority of them have been have been shown to be effective in treating one form of arthritis or another(Spivey, 2012). When it comes to traditional Chinese acupuncture that uses stainless steel needles to help direct the flow of chi there is scientific support for its effectiveness in treating rheumatoid arthritis; particularly in the area of pain relief (Zukow et al., 2011)
Sufferers from rheumatoid arthritis have also reported healing effects from Moxibustion (Zhang and Tang, 2009). Moxibustion is when a healing herb called moxa is burned near the needle site. This herb encourages heat in the body loosening the blocked chi which allows the life force to flow relieving pain and encouraging mobility as it reduces swelling in the joints(Spivey, 2012; Zhang and Tang, 2009). This adjunct to acupuncture similarly had positive effects for those with osteoarthritis. There are two different types of Moxibustion; direct and indirect, it is advised that if you are considering this treatment you use the indirect form where there is protection between the skin and the burning herb as the direct form has been linked to dangers including blistering and scaring(Kim et al., 2014).
If the idea of needles gives you pause then why not use a form of acupuncture that does not involve these implements. This type of acupuncture is known as acupressure and uses hands or blunted implements to stimulate the trigger points. Acupressure is found to have similar pain reliving effects to acupuncture and is especially helpful to those suffering from spondyloarthritis (Mahmodzadeh Ardakani et al., 2012).
One of the controversies surrounding acupuncture as a treatment is the suggestion that it has a placebo effect. (Takeda and Wessel, 1994). This does not indicate that acupuncture is ineffective but shows the power of the mind to convince the body to heal itself. One problem with these trails was that the acupuncturist did not have the highest qualification available which calls into question the validity of these findings (Ezzo et al., 2001). It is important when choosing an acupuncturist to know that they have a bachelor’s degree and are registered with the Australian Board of Chinese Medicine(National Academy standards committee for Chinese Medicine, 2001).
As highlighted throughout this article; acupuncture can help relieve the stiffness in your joints and decrease pain significantly, so, if you’re tired of popping pills put a pin in your pain and give acupuncture a try. It could be the answer to getting you back in the saddle or back on the road again.
References
BEAL, M. W. 2000. Acupuncture and Oriental body work: traditional and modern biomedical concepts in holistic care -- conceptual frameworks and biomedical developments. Holistic Nursing Practice, 15, 78-87 10p.
CAUGHEY, G. E., VITRY, A. I., GILBERT, A. L. & ROUGHEAD, E. E. 2008. Prevalence of comorbidity of chronic diseases in Australia. BMC Public Health, 8, 1-13.
CHEN, C.-J. & YU, H.-S. 2003. Acupuncture, electrostimulation, and reflex therapy in dermatology. Dermatologic Therapy, 16, 87-92.
EZZO, J., HADHAZY, V., BIRCH, S., LAO, L., KAPLAN, G., HOCHBERG, M. & BERMAN, B. 2001. Acupuncture for osteoarthritis of the knee: A systematic review. Arthritis & Rheumatism,44, 819-825.
KIM, T.-H., KIM, K. H., KANG, J. W., LEE, M., KANG, K.-W., KIM, J. E., KIM, J.-H., LEE, S., SHIN, M.-S., JUNG, S.-Y., KIM, A.-R., PARK, H.-J., JUNG, H.-J., SONG, H. S., KIM, H. J., CHOI, J.-B., HONG, K. E. & CHOI, S.-M. 2014. Moxibustion Treatment for Knee Osteoarthritis: A Multi-Centre, Non-Blinded, Randomised Controlled Trial on the Effectiveness and Safety of the Moxibustion Treatment versus Usual Care in Knee Osteoarthritis Patients. PLoS One, 9, e101973.
MAHMODZADEH ARDAKANI, H., AKBARI KAJI, M., ABOTALABI, G., MOHAMANNAZHAD, A. & M, G. H. 2012. Effect of acupressure on low back pain in patients with spondylarthritis. (Persian). Journal of Urmia Nursing & Midwifery Faculty, 10, 1.
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PAYNE, L. L., MOWEN, A. J. & MONTORO-RODRIGUEZ, J. 2006. The Role of Leisure Style in Maintaining the Health of Older Adults with Arthritis. Journal of Leisure Research, 38, 20-45.
SALE, J. E. M., GIGNAC, M. & HAWKER, G. 2006. How “bad” does the pain have to be? A qualitative study examining adherence to pain medication in older adults with osteoarthritis.Arthritis Care & Research, 55, 272-278.
SCHUSTER, T. L., DOBSON, M., JAUREGUI, M. & BLANKS, R. H. I. 2004. Wellness lifestyles I: a theoretical framework linking wellness, health lifestyles, and complementary and alternative medicine. Journal of Alternative & Complementary Medicine, 10, 349-356 8p.
SPIVEY, L. 2012. Acupuncture : Alternative Medicine, New Delhi, IND, World Technologies.
TAKEDA, W. & WESSEL, J. 1994. Acupuncture for the treatment of pain of osteoarthritic knees.Arthritis & Rheumatism, 7, 118-122.
ZHANG, C.-Y. & TANG, Z.-L. 2009. Progress of mechanism study on rheumatoid arthritis treated by moxibustion. Journal of Acupuncture and Tuina Science, 7, 65-70.
ZUKOW, W., KALISZ, Z., MUSZKIETA, R. & NAPIERALA, M. 2011. Acupuncture for rheumatoid arthritis: A randomized, sham-controlled clinical trial. Journal of Acupuncture and Tuina Science, 9, 168-172.
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