Acupuncture For Concussions

Acupuncture is an effective treatment for a wide variety of symptoms related to concussion recovery. Acupuncture is able to treat brain injuries by regulating brain function, reducing neural inflammation, and stabilizing mood swings. Acupuncture is used to reduce both healing time and decrease the symptoms of concussions.

Acupuncture can help in both acute and chronic stages of recovery by:

• Alleviating pain from severe headaches, neck pain, muscle spasms and tension

• Alleviating nausea for various stages of concussion

• Alleviating dizziness and vertigo

• Regulating blood flow through several arteries supplying the brain

• Reducing swelling around the brain

• Reducing TNFα and the inflammatory response around the brain

• Promoting nerve regeneration and slows degradation of brain cells

• Alleviating anxiety, irritability, mood swings, insomnia

• Improving sensory mapping by activating the parietal cortex

• Increasing the amount of proprioceptive information traveling up the spinal cord to the brain

If you have questions or if we may be of assistance in scheduling a consultation, please call us at 301.880.3232!

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References:

An, Y. S., Moon, S. K., Min, I. K., & Kim, D. Y. (2009). Changes in regional cerebral blood flow and glucose metabolism following electroacupuncture at LI 4 and LI 11 in normal volunteers. Journal of alternative and complementary medicine (New York, N.Y.), 15(10), 1075–1081.

Byeon HS, Moon, S.K., Park, S.U., Jung, W.S., Park, J.M., Ko, C.N., Cho, K.H., Kim, Y.S., and Bae, H.S. : Effects of GV20 acupuncture on cerebral blood flow velocity of middle cerebral artery and anterior cerebral artery territories, and CO2 reactivity during hypocapnia in normal subjects. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine 2011, 17:219-224.

Bäcker, M., Hammes, M., Valet, M., Deppe, M., Conrad, B., Tölle, T., & Dobos, G. (2002, October 31). Different modes of manual acupuncture stimulation differentially modulate cerebral blood flow velocity, arterial blood pressure and heart rate in human subjects. Retrieved from

Hori E, Takamoto K, Urakawa S, Ono T, Nishijo H: Effects of acupuncture on the brain hemodynamics. Auton Neurosci 2010, 157:74-80.

Jiang, S., Chen, W., Zhang, Y., Zhang, Y., Chen, A., Dai, Q., Lin, S., & Lin, H. (2016). Acupuncture Induces the Proliferation and Differentiation of Endogenous Neural Stem Cells in Rats with Traumatic Brain Injury. Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM, 2016, 2047412.

Lim, H. D., Kim, M. H., Lee, C. Y., & Namgung, U. (2016). Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Acupuncture Stimulation via the Vagus Nerve. PloS one, 11(3), e0151882.

Meier TB, Bellgowan PSF, Singh R, Kuplicki R, Polanski D, Mayer AR: Recovery of cerebral blood flow following sports-related concussion. JAMA Neurol 2015, 72:530-538.

Zhang X, Wu, B., Nie, K., Jia, Y., and Yu, J. : Effects of acupuncture on declined cerebral blood flow, impaired mitochondrial respiratory function and oxidative stress in multi-infarct dementia rats. Neurochemistry International 2014, 65.

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This website provides general information only. Content does not constitute medical advice. Consult a healthcare professional for medical guidance.