The Soreness and Numbness Effect of Acupuncture on Skin Blood Flow

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of the De-Qi sensations of acupuncture (sourness-distension and distension-numbness) stimulation. Fifty-two healthy medical student volunteers were given acupuncture at the Hoku (LI-4) acupoint as they were resting. During a test that lasted 30 minutes, their skin blood flow was measured at the Quchi (LI-11) acupoint and their palm temperature was measured. Our results indicated that acupuncture increased blood flow when the De-Qi sensation occurred. If the needle was twirled a few minutes thereafter and the De-Qi feeling again occurred, the same blood flow increase was seen again. If the needle was not twirled, but the test person felt soreness, numbness and heat sensation within a few minutes after needle insertion, the same blood flow increase was also seen. After acupuncture, Quchi did not show continuous increase of blood flow as did Hoku. Hoku acupuncture also increased palm temperature suggesting that the blood flow increased from cutaneous vessel vasodilation. In conclusion, when the test person felt the sore and numb De-Qi sensation, there was an increase of blood flow at the acupuncture points. Thus, our results suggest that increased flow may be one of the mechanisms accounting for meridian system responses during acupuncture.

De Qi: Chinese Acupuncture Patients' Experiences and Beliefs regarding Acupuncture Needling Sensation – An Exploratory Survey

“…Kuo demonstrated that acupuncture needle puncture may result in local vasodilatory effects in humans. 8 Arecent study also showed that needle manipulation during acupuncture causes a significant displacement of connective tissues distant from the needling point. 15;16 In addition, a functional MRI study demonstrated substantial differences in signal intensity within subcortical structures between those individuals who reported migratory needling sensation and those who reported pain instead of de qi sensation.…”

“…3 De qi, a set of sensations elicited as part of the acupuncture needling process, has been considered an important component of TCM acupuncture and referenced extensively in acupuncture literature. [4][5][6][7] The physiological mechanism that produces the effect of de qi has been explored in several studies, [8][9][10] but is not well understood. Preliminary findings suggest that de qi may be an important phenomenon to measure in clinical studies of acupuncture so that its effects on clinical and biological outcomes can be further elucidated.…”

Change of Blood Perfusion in Hegu Acupoint After Contralateral Hegu Acupoint Was Stimulated

“…[3][4][5] In Traditional Chinese Medical (TCM) theory, the effects of acupuncture depend on the special sensation in a local acupoint after stimulation, which might be related to the blood perfusion changes in acupoints or meridians. 6 When an acupoint was stimulated adequately, the blood perfusion of this point continued to increase whereas the blood perfusion of the nonacupoint only changed slightly by the same acupuncture stimulation. 7 In patients with primary Raynaud phenomenon, auricular electroacupuncture can reduce the frequency and severity of attacks with little influence on skin perfusion.…”

Chinese medicine, flowing blood, biomechanopharmacology and future preventive medicine

“…Thus, it has been reported that when needling sensation (De-Qi) was achieved, there was a local increase in blood flow at the acupuncture points. This may be one of the mechanisms accounting for the meridian system responses during acupuncture [24]. With the help of multidirectional transcranial ultrasound monitoring, it is now possible to objectively determine the reproducible effects of needle acupuncture and modern type of laser-needle acupuncture stimulation on cerebral blood flow velocity at the acupuncture targeted organ (brain) [25].…”