Acupuncture for strained muscles?

I feel pretty bad two nights ago and pulled a load of muscles in my neck. I can't move my neck without causing tons of pain. Is acupuncture a way to solve for strained and pulled muscles, at least temporarily?

Western Medicine is better and will get more lasting effects.

Ibuprofen, hot pad, muscle relaxants if it's bad and try not to aggravate it for a few days.

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Oh THAT'S how that works!

You might want to get a good therapeutic massage or maybe see a chiropractor. I had a stiff neck and also a problem with my range of motion this one day after a very hard training a few months ago. I got an adjustment and I instantly felt better, it was amazing.

For now, try to massage it yourself. You could use some oil with eucalyptus and menthol in it, or even vicks to help ease the pain and lubricate the skin (though I wouldn't use a ton). I like to use dit da jow.

Warm the tissue a bit with softer gliding strokes up and down the whole back of the neck and the sides. Start at the base of the skull and with more pressure, go a bit deeper and slower, with your thumb pointing down slide all the way to your trapezius. Do this all the way around your neck. On the sides go down to your clavicle. Make sure to also massage your traps from neck to shoulder joint and back. You want to get your traps, scalenes and scm. It should help a bit.

Can also look through here, I have a few posts that will help some of the problem and you can do them on your own.

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Oh THAT'S how that works!

TIGER BALM!!!! It's helping more than anything right now. I'll have to get my boyfriend to rub that on my neck.

Acupuncture could help release tension and speed up recovery. It's a good way to complement other treatment, and is brilliant for painrelief.

“	Acupuncture could help release tension and speed up recovery. It's a good way to complement other treatment, and is brilliant for painrelief.	”

I agree. It has worked for me.

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"Battles are won by slaughter and maneuver. The greater the general, the more he contributes in maneuver, the less he demands in slaughter." - Sir Winston Churchill

One thing to be aware of is that there are at least as many variations of acupuncture as there are styles in martial arts. I recommend doing some research before seeking out a practitioner of acupuncture just as you would an instructor in martial arts.

acupuncture would be a nice compliment if you have somebody decent.

don't be shy with the NSAID's (don't over dose), but aspirin, ibuprofen and acetaminophen can all be stacked to achieve a more powerful synergistic effect without overdosing. (that's basically all excedrin is, minus the caffeine, and a lot cheaper)

i would suggest 250mg of each taken every 6 hours.

a nice hot dit da jow if you have a good formula (post first 48 hours)

contrast thereapy works great too, check out my blog article here.