A 52 year old man came to our clinic presenting with severe muscle cramps in his legs. This muscle cramp acupuncture case study describes how acupuncture resolved his pain and restored normal function to his leg muscles.
Cramps from Hiking
Our patient in this muscle cramp acupuncture case study had developed cramps in his legs over the past year, following his increase in hiking with his wife. As empty nesters, they had used their newly acquired free time to hike along the trails near their home. Soon after starting this new activity, he developed pain in his hamstring and calf muscles. They were tight all the time, and no amount of stretching would relieve them.
Physical therapy proved unhelpful, and after twelve sessions he gave up. Likewise, massage brought no long-term relief. A deep massage would ease his tight muscles for a day, but the next hike tightened them up again. His massage therapist suggested he try acupuncture. This is what brought him to our office.
How Acupuncture Resolves Muscle Cramps
Upon examination, his pain was located in the hamstring muscles (back of his upper legs) and the outside of his lower legs (peroneal muscles). In Chinese medicine terms, his pain was affecting his Bladder and Gallbladder channels.
Acupuncture has a number of effective techniques for resolving muscle cramps. One way is to “open the channels”. All pain comes from blocked channels. By selecting acupuncture points along a channel where there is pain, the channel is open, allowing Qi (energy) to flow again. This restoration of Qi flow, called “invigorating the qi”, resolves the pain. It’s hard to imagine until you experience it yourself. But, nevertheless, it works like a charm.
A second technique we use to resolve cramps is to release the tight muscles themselves by needling their motor point. The patient feels a “twitch” in the muscle as it releases. This muscle release does not resolve the problem immediately. The muscle will re-tighten, but not as much. Over the course of several treatments, the muscle returns to normal. However, when done in conjunction with opening the channels, these two techniques bring much faster results.
Muscle Cramp Treatment
In this muscle cramp acupuncture case study, we used these two techniques to treat our patient. Acupuncture points included BL36, BL37, BL40, BL57, GB34, GB35, GB37, GB39 and GB40. In addition, we released some hip muscles (Gluteus Maximus and Piriformis). The results were dramatic. After just two treatments he was 50 percent better. An additional two treatments had his pain resolved completely. He was now hiking without any muscle cramps. Follow-up six months later revealed that the pain had not returned.
These results are typical for treating pain associated with muscle cramps. The treatment is straightforward, and outcomes are typically favorable. The combination of opening channels and releasing tight muscles is a highly effective treatment protocol.
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Muscle Cramp Acupuncture Case Study
Acupuncture resolves muscle cramps anywhere on the body. This muscle cramp acupuncture case study addressed cramps in the legs. We have also resolved muscle cramps in the low back, neck, shoulders (rotator cuff muscles), hips, arms, hands and feet. The technique is the same. Acupuncture points are selected to correspond with the affected channels and muscles.
If you are struggling with muscle cramps, try acupuncture. Treatments are safe and provide long-lasting relief.
What our Clients are Saying
I am a writer and I write the old fashioned way, by hand! A few years ago I started getting severe cramps in my hand. I knew it was from the writing, but didn’t want to change to a computer. So I tried a variety of therapies, none of which worked until I arrived at Raleigh Acupuncture. Their treatment was so good, and they were so awesome, that I’ve made them a part of my life. From hand cramps I moved on to them helping me with insomnia and chronic low back issues. It’s been a great experience!
I had terrible calf and foot cramps and used quinine. But it got so hard to get in the past few years. So I tried acupuncture. Raleigh Acupuncture truly helped. I recommend them for calf and foot cramps.
