What is the difference between acupuncture and massage

Acupuncture focuses more on the regulation of deep meridians and viscera qi and blood, while massage focuses more on surface soft tissue and relief of local strains.

The 28-year-old Internet operator I received a while ago is a typical example. He suffered from shoulder and neck pain for almost half a month. He first used a fascia gun for two days and then went to the blind massage for two times. The superficial stiffness was basically gone. However, as long as he lowered his head for more than ten minutes, there was pain in the seam of the right shoulder blade, and his arm was still stiff when he raised it to a high place. When I came for the consultation, I pressed the painful point, and the pressure reached deep into the muscle. He didn't feel much soreness or swelling at all. It was obvious that the blockage was too close to the inside, and the massage power could not penetrate. Later, he was pricked three times on the local Ashi point and the distal Tiaokou Tuchengshan. Only then did the deep pulling pain completely dissipate. This is the most intuitive reflection of the difference in the depth of the two effects.

To give an inappropriate analogy, if you compare the body's meridians, qi and blood to interlaced water supply pipes, massage is like repeatedly rubbing the outer wall of the pipe. It can rub away the soft dirt and surface sedimentation attached to the outer layer of the pipe wall. Therefore, if the muscles are sore after exercise and the surface of the shoulders and neck become stiff after sitting for a long time, most of them can be relaxed immediately after pressing. The comfort level is very high and there is no threshold. But if there is a problem with the hard knot blocking the inner wall of the pipeline, or even the water pressure of the entire pipeline, just rubbing the outer wall cannot reach it. At this time, the fine needles of acupuncture can directly penetrate to the corresponding depth, unblock the deep blockage, and regulate the overall flow of qi and blood through remote acupoint selection. For example, for chronic gastritis, asthenia dysmenorrhea, and other problems involving the qi and blood of the organs, most of the time acupuncture will take effect much faster than massage.

Of course, this does not mean that massage cannot touch deep-seated problems. Nowadays, many traditional massage schools pay attention to the technique of "deep penetration and deep stagnation". The intensity of the acupuncture points pressed by experienced masters can penetrate deep into the muscles. I have met an old patient who suffers from constipation all year round. He said that he found a familiar massage therapist to regularly massage the abdominal knots. , Tianshu point, the improvement effect is no worse than acupuncture. There is no absolute conclusion in this part of the industry. It can only be said that from the perspective of general application, the upper limit of penetration of acupuncture is higher, and the accuracy of the operator's technique is relatively lower. As long as the acupuncture points are accurately selected and the replenishing and purging techniques are in place, most of them can achieve the expected deep effects.

In fact, ordinary people don’t need to worry about which one is more effective. They can choose based on their own situation: if they just have sore legs after climbing a mountain on the weekend and a bloated head after two nights, find a reliable massage parlor to relax for half an hour. It is comfortable and hassle-free, and there is no need to get acupuncture. But if the pain is deep and dull, and the specific pain point cannot be touched, or it has been a chronic problem for several months, accompanied by systemic symptoms such as poor sleep and poor appetite, then acupuncture will be more efficient. By the way, friends who are afraid of needles don’t have to bear it. Now there are many massage and moxibustion programs. If the symptoms are correct, the effect is not bad. The one that suits you is the best.