Acupuncture for Post-Operative Recovery
What happens to your body during an operation?
Almost all operations involve cutting through the skin, fat, facia and muscle tissue to reach underlying structures on which the operation is going to take place, be this for the purpose of spinal fusion, a by-pass operations, abdominal surgery or other operations.
Operations traumatise the body in many ways. On a purely structural level of the physical cutting through the tissues such as the skin, etc. there are other structures the surgeons cut through, in particular, they nearly always cut through the Acupuncture Channels/Meridians that criss-cross the body.
The latest research would suggest that meridians (as used in Acupuncture, and Chinese medicine) follow the body’s facia from the surface of the body, just beneath the skin, to deep inside the body and its organs, thereby connecting the Acupuncture points on the surface to the organs deep inside the body.
Standard post-operative care
Once an operation has been successfully completed, the patient post-operative care (a full description can be found here: spineuniverse.com/treatments/surgery/what-post-operative-care). Essentially, this process involves observing and stabilising the patient, addressing any post-operative complications, pain, nausea, etc. Post-operative care may extend beyond the hospital and may involve some form of physical therapy following the operation. Beyond this, there is little in terms of post-operative care.
However, no concern is given to the connection between the Acupuncture points and the organs. The channels are not visible, or if they are visible we are not as yet aware of what they look like, and as a result they are not considered either during an operation or in post-operative care.
How does this translate to Chinese Medicine?
In traditional Chinese medicine theory, the Acupuncture channels/meridians are the means by which energy moves through the body. Cut these lines and energy will become blocked.
When undergoing an operation, tissue that is cut, stretched, pulled, etc. is traumatised. This trauma causes blood to stagnate and may take the form of a bruise. Under normal circumstances, a superficial bruise (one that can be seen on or just below the skin) tends to resolve itself over time, because the superficial layers of the body are highly vascularised. That means there is high level of blood vessels in any given area, which help to remove ‘dead blood’ from the tissues. However, in deeper regions of the body the blood vessels are not as densely distributed as near the skin and bruises can become cyst-like.
In addition, scar tissue forms where cuts through tissue have been made and this is different tissue to that which was formerly there. In other words, the tissue that forms into a scar is different to that nearby. As this frequently involves facia (through which Acupuncture channels are thought to pass), the Acupuncture channel is ‘cut’ and does not allow energy (Qi) to move through it. This usually results in pain, which does not readily respond to orthodox treatment.
How can Chinese herbal medicine and Acupuncture help in Post-operative recovery
In Chinese medicine this is what we call stagnation of Qi and Blood (Xue) in the channels and/or collaterals. When these substances become obstructed, pain results.
The concept of Xue in Chinese medicine involves more than just the substance we as westerners know as Blood, it also involves other fluids and is acted upon and energised by Qi (energy). Xue and Qi are mutually interdependent.
So, following an operation, bruising, swelling and formation of scar tissue all contribute to the interruption of the flow of Qi and Xue. Over time, this usually resolves, however, using Acupuncture can speed up this process and promote faster healing. In addition, using Acupuncture to re-establish the energy flow through the tissues that were cut, reduces and usually eliminates the pain resulting from operations and post-operative scaring is also reduced.
In addition to Acupuncture, Chinese herbal therapy can also be a very effective way to manage and treat post-operative pain, swelling, inflammation, scaring and other problems such as nausea, dizziness, loss of appetite, etc.
Using Acupuncture as soon as possible following an operation will improve the rate of recovery and reduce many of the effects often associated with post-operative recovery.
To find out more or discuss your needs with one of our practitioners, call: 0492 814 971
