Acupuncture therapy increased the diameter and
reorganization of tendon fibrils during tendon healing in a rat model.
Many people participating in physical and recreational
activities experienced some forms of soft tissue injuries, including tendon
laceration or rupture. In many cases surgical intervention is required to
direct the natural process of healing which is a slow and complicated process.
Acupuncture has been used to treat tendon injury for pain
relieving. Many studies showed that acupuncture stimulation increases releasing
of analgesic substance such as adenosine locally and endorphin in the brain. It
is also believed that acupuncture increase local blood flow and nutrients which
enhances healing process.
Recently Dr. de Almeida and Colleagues in Brazil
conducted an experimental study to assess the effect of acupuncture on the
changes in collagen fibrils in rat tendon injury model. The model subjects were
given manual acupuncture at acupoints ST36 or BL57, or ST36+BL57, or
electroacupuncture at ST36+BL57 acupoints once a day for 21 days. The
concentration, mass-average diameter and the reorganization of collagen fibril
diameter were measured at 7, 14 and 21 days after acupuncture. It was found
that acupuncture increased the concentration, mass-average diameter and
reorganization of collagen, indicating the strengthening of tendon structure.
The authors suggest that acupuncture may offer the
therapeutic benefits for tendon injury by increasing concentration of collagen
and by inducing a better organization of collagen fibres, which may improve the
mechanical strength of the tendon after injury.
Reference:
De Almeida MD et al.,
Acupuncture increases the diameter and reorganisation of collagen fibrils
during rat tendon healing. Acupunct Med. 2014 Aug 19. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25138672
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