Expert: R. Scott Malone L.Ac. - 3/13/2010

Question
QUESTION: I've been receiving aggressive, intense acupuncture treatments for several weeks now and have Never felt better.  My doctor is Chinese, licensed, and studied in Korea.  (I believe this method is Mongolian.)  My only problem, however, is that after the second treatment (I was being treated twice a week, now once a week) - when the doctor 'punctured' the back of my neck - I immediately noticed when I turned over onto my back to relax after treatment, that my head slowly turned to the left.  This has not let up and is driving me crazy.  It doesn't hurt at all, but it's hard to get to sleep when my neck won't stop pulling to the left when in a relaxed position.  I'm 54 and have had scoliosis since I was a teenager and am afraid he could have damaged a nerve.  Is this possible?  He assures me it's not nerve damage; he says nerve damage is NOT a side effect of acupuncture, but instead it's a muscle pulling from under my left scapula that is out of "whack" because of my scoliosis which is making my head turn when I lie down.  He has no doubts about it going away - sometime.  I really trust and admire my doctor, but I'm still nervous about this.  Can you help explain this further and assuage my fears?
Thank you so much ~

ANSWER: Hey Wendy,

Musculo-skeletal acupuncture is great. We are able to needle the belly of the muscles and get the muscles to relax. Often they will spasm and then release. I have never ever heard of a case of acupuncture causing nerve damage, in fact if you google acupuncture and nerve damage what you will
see are listings of how acupuncture is used to treat nerve damage. They certainly wouldn't recommend
acupuncture to treat nerve damage if it could cause it. Rest easy on that point.

Look up a chart of the muscles of the neck if you are unfamiliar with them, it will help you understand my explanation.

You may have both the semispinalis capitus, and or the scm,(sterno-cleido-mastoid)locked up on both sides and one has released and the other is still pulling.

The semispinalis rotates the head and pulls it backwards. The SCM tilts and rotates the head.

The scoliosis has probably left the muscles of the neck imbalanced. Because of the twist you'll have an imbalance of the muscles to begin with. Those muscles also relate the stomach and spleen. so there may be an imbalance in those organs that needs to be addressed as well. If there is a st/sp imbalance then those muscles will continue to be imbalanced until the spleen and stomach are balanced and normalized.

The scoliotic posture is now natural to you and has been for many years. It will take some time to unwind and balance the muscles involved. You may want to add a bodyworker to the mix that does
rolfing or craniosacral therapy to have a pair of eyes on the subject that only see muscle and structure. You can look online for local certified practitioners in those disciplines.
I just finished a 10 session of rolfing and it was great, rolfing has a reputation for being painful, but they have moved away from that, and while it was intense it was a great healing experience for me.

To reiterate, this has nothing to do with nerve damage and is a muscular issue.
I think you're on the right track, just stick with it and perhaps add a bodyworker into the mix, it will help move things along quicker I think.

All the best,

R. Scott Malone L.Ac.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks for such a quick response.  I'm so relieved by your reassurance that I feel like crying!  I believed I was on the right track with acupuncture, but now I know it!  I have also been seeing a wonderful and trusted certified chiropractor for nearly 12 years who's been keeping the scoliosis from getting any worse, as it was causing my ribcage to turn inward towards my heart.  He also told me the neck pull wouldn't be nerve damage, so with three trained experts now in agreement, I'll STOP worrying.  My chiropractor's been treating the neck-turn some (I didn't present it to him as the HUGE worry it was), so do you recommend him aggressively treating it or would a bodyworker be the best route?

(I promise this will be my last question!)

Thanks again!

~ Wendy Arrington

Answer
Glad to put your mind at ease Wendy.
I think seeing a chiropractor is a great thing, with the muscles pulling on the spine
you'll need adjustments to keep your spine aligned.
I think you should add a rolfer or a crainiosacral therapist to the mix as they are
experts on musculature.

Chiropractors are spine and bone experts.

In acupuncture we are experts on the meridians, organ systems and balance in the body.

We have knowledge of the musculature that the channels traverse, but our knowledge of the musculature typically is not as in depth as that of a rolfer, crainiosacral therapist or good massage therapist.
Acupuncturists who specialize in sports medicine or trauma may have specialized knowledge of the muscles, but usually it is not our main focus.

A bodyworker can take a holistic look at the muscles and really trace back muscle imbalances
to their roots and help balance and stabilize the body as a whole. I think it would be good to have someone with a grater vantage point to see what is going on with the balance of muscles in your body as a whole.

You have musicians but I am recommending a conductor.

Good luck and be well Wendy,

Scott