Pain is one of the most common reasons people seek out acupuncture. Whether it’s a sharp twinge in your neck, an aching lower back, or stiff knees that predict the weather better than your phone, pain is more than just discomfort — it’s a message. In Chinese medicine, pain tells a deeper story about imbalance in the body, and acupuncture for pain relief is a powerful way to uncover and address the root of that story.
At Six Fishes, we understand that pain isn’t just about what’s hurting — it’s about why it hurts. Acupuncture, rooted in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), offers a unique framework for decoding those messages. By understanding how and where pain manifests, we can uncover imbalances and restore your body’s natural ability to heal.
Pain Has a Pattern — and a Personality
Unlike conventional approaches that often focus on symptom suppression, Chinese medicine looks at the quality, timing, and location of pain. These details help practitioners determine the root cause.
Here’s how different types of pain can point to different patterns of imbalance:
Sharp, Fixed Pain
Often linked to Blood stasis, this type of pain may follow injury, surgery, or trauma. It’s usually localized, intense, and persistent. If your pain feels stuck and doesn’t shift with movement or rest, this is often the culprit.
Dull, Achy Pain
This typically points to Qi and Blood deficiency — in simpler terms, your body lacks the internal resources to nourish and repair tissues. This pain often feels better with heat or gentle pressure and may worsen with fatigue.
Heavy, Swollen Pain
Pain that worsens in damp or humid conditions often signals Dampness — a common pattern in TCM. Joints may feel puffy or sluggish, like they’re wrapped in wet towels. This is often seen in inflammatory conditions like arthritis.
Cramping, Tight Pain
If your pain is stress-related or comes and goes, Liver Qi stagnation may be involved. This is common in people with high tension, jaw clenching, or those who feel emotionally “stuck.” It often affects the neck, shoulders, or mid-back.
When It Hurts Also Matters
Chinese medicine also looks at the timing of pain as a diagnostic tool:
- Morning stiffness often points to Cold or Damp accumulation — your body has slowed down overnight, allowing stagnation to settle.
- Nighttime pain may indicate Blood deficiency. Your body tries to repair while you rest, but lacks the fuel to do so.
- Pain worsened by cold, wind, or rain is often related to external “pathogenic factors” like Wind or Cold invasion — yes, TCM considers your internal and external climate.
Where It Hurts Reveals Even More
- Pain doesn’t occur randomly — its location helps trace the issue to specific organ systems or meridians in Chinese medicine:
- Low back, knees, ankles: Often related to Kidney energy, which governs bone health and longevity.
- Neck, shoulders, jaw: Frequently tied to the Liver and Gallbladder channels, especially when tension or irritability is present.
- One-sided pain: Commonly follows the Gallbladder meridian, which runs from the side of the head down the body’s lateral edge.
- Wandering or shifting pain: Associated with Wind in the channels, where the pain seems to “move around.”
How Acupuncture Supports Pain Relief
Acupuncture doesn’t just mask symptoms — it encourages your body to correct imbalances and restore function. Here’s how:
1. Regulates the Nervous System
Acupuncture activates the parasympathetic nervous system, promoting relaxation and lowering the stress response — a known contributor to chronic pain.
2. Releases Endorphins
These are your body’s natural painkillers. Acupuncture stimulates their release, helping relieve pain without medication.
3. Improves Circulation
By increasing blood flow to injured or stagnant areas, acupuncture helps nourish tissues and remove waste products that cause inflammation.
4. Reduces Inflammation
Acupuncture has been shown in studies to decrease inflammatory markers, supporting recovery from both acute injuries and chronic conditions.
5. Retrains the Brain
In chronic pain, the nervous system can become hypersensitive. Acupuncture helps regulate these pain pathways, reducing overactive pain signals over time.
Pain Isn’t Just Physical
From a Chinese medicine perspective, unprocessed emotions, chronic stress, and even diet can contribute to pain. For example:
- Grief can settle in the chest and create tightness.
- Repressed anger often manifests in tension headaches or tight neck muscles.
- Overwork and burnout may result in lower back and knee pain.
Acupuncture takes these factors into account, which is why treatment plans are personalized—not standardized.
Healing Is a Process, Not a Quick Fix
Some people feel immediate relief after their first session. For others, progress builds gradually over several treatments. The number of sessions you need depends on the severity, duration, and root cause of your pain.
At Six Fishes, we often combine acupuncture with other modalities like herbal medicine, cupping, gua sha, or moxibustion to support the healing process more deeply. Lifestyle and dietary guidance may also play a role — because real healing is holistic.
Final Thoughts: Listen to the Message, Not Just the Pain
Pain is not the enemy — it’s a signal. By paying attention to how your body communicates discomfort, and addressing the root cause, lasting relief becomes possible. Acupuncture provides a safe, time-tested way to interpret and respond to those messages — not just by silencing the noise, but by restoring balance.
Looking for lasting pain relief? Explore how Fertility Acupuncture for Pain Relief at Six Fishes uncovers the root cause of your discomfort and supports whole-body healing.