Different Drummer Acupuncture Marcia Mueller, L.Ac. Acupuncture to relieve pain and stress in Portland

Trigger Points and Motor Points

Sore muscles are something that we all suffer from.  If we're lucky the muscle relaxes and heals very quickly.  There are times, however, when that doesn't happen and we're sore at best or incapacitated at worst.  Acupuncture is very effective with sore, tight, injured muscles and treating these problems is a big part of my practice.

I like to blend western medical knowledge and techniques with my Chinese medicine training when I treat orthopedic disorders.  With painful, sore and/or injured muscles there often will be tight palpable bands within the affected muscle.  These points often refer pain to another area of the body and are called trigger points.  It has been found that needling these points can alleviate the pain.  Doctors often inject an anesthetic in these points (wet needling), but acupuncture (dry needling) can be just as effective.

There are other points called motor points that are arguably more important in the treatment of muscle pain.  Motor points are found at specific sights in the body and they most often correspond to the area where the nerve enters the muscle belly.  This is also the area of the muscle that has the lowest resistance to electrical conductivity. Interestingly many motor points are located at or very close to major acupuncture points.  These points are responsible for setting the tension of the muscle and for preventing over stretching.  When we needle them we reset them.  This can strengthen weak muscles or relax tense ones.  Make an appointment >