Acupuncture and Motor Vehicle Accidents

Acupuncture originated in China and has been used for over 5,000 years. This process involves the temporary insertion of tiny sterile needles into the skin at specific areas of your body to promote the healing process and restore the natural balance and harmony of your body. Soft tissue injuries often occur after a motor vehicle accident and can be successfully treated by acupuncture. The most common type of soft tissue injury caused by a motor vehicle accident is whiplash, which is a strain/sprain of the neck—even a minor fender-bender can cause this.

According to the World Health Organization, acupuncture is effective in treating over 200 conditions.  This includes headaches of all types, back pain, neck pain, knee pain, arm and leg pain, shoulder pain and so much more. There are many benefits associated with acupuncture. This includes increased circulation, release of endorphins, enhanced immune response and function, and regulation of endocrine function.

Let us help you reduce your stress, anxiety, insomnia, nausea, and fear, regain your health, and get you back to living a pain free life. 

Frequently Asked Questions

1. 1. What is acupuncture?
      Acupuncture is a technique that originated in China, which involves the temporary insertion of tiny disposable needles into the skin at specific body points in order to relieve pain, harmonize imbalances of bodily systems, and promoted healing. The goal of acupuncture is to restore good health by remove blockages in the flow of qi (Chinese word meaning vital force) and correcting internal imbalances; thus alleviating pain, discomfort, and body disharmony.
   2.  What does acupuncture treat?
      Acupuncture treats many ailments. According to the World Health Organization, acupuncture is an effective treatment for many conditions. A few commonly treated ailments are neck pain, back pain, knee pain, extremity pain; such as arm, leg and shoulder pain, sports injuries, stress, anxiety, insomnia, depression, headaches, premenstrual syndrome and menopausal symptoms, chemical dependencies, arthritis, and many others.
   3. What type of needles is used?
      Acupuncture needles are disposable, single-use, hair-thin, solid, and metallic. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates acupuncture needles for use by licensed practitioners, requiring that needles be manufactured and labeled according to certain standards. For example, the FDA requires that needles be sterile, nontoxic, and labeled for single use by qualified practitioners only. Most needles are stainless steal, and the between the size of a human hair and a cat whisker in diameter.
   4. What are the benefits of acupuncture?
      Some of the benefits of acupuncture include increased circulation, release of endorphins, enhanced immune function, regulation of endocrine function, decreased healing time for musculoskeletal and other injuries, and overall increased sense of well being and calm during and after acupuncture treatments.
   5. What does “CAM:” stand for?
      CAM is an abbreviation for Complementary Alternative Medicine. In the United States, where practitioners incorporate healing traditions from China, Japan, Korea, and other countries, acupuncture is considered to be part of Complementary Alternative Medicine. CAM includes a group of diverse medical and health care systems that are presently not considered to be part of conventional medicine. Complementary Alternative Medicine can be used together with conventional medicine.
   6. What is the status of acupuncture in the United States?
      Acupuncture is becoming increasingly popular in the United States. According to the 2007 National Health Interview Survey, which included a comprehensive survey of CAM use by Americans, an estimated 3.1 million U.S. adults and 150,000 children had used acupuncture in the previous year.

*For more infonnation, contact the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM). The NCC AM can be reached by phone: 1-(888) 644-6226 or online: www.nccam.nih.gov.