A new study shows again that acupuncture is a powerful technique to reduce pain and inflammation in chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS). Chronic pelvic pain syndrome is a problem that not a lot of men like to speak about, Yet pelvic pain is a very common illness. I have helped hundreds of men with chronic pelvic pain in my acupuncture clinic over the last 15 years.
Acupuncture is a wonderful technique for treating CP/CPPS because it reduces pain, inflammation, and calms the nervous system in order to treat the whole person. A research study recently published in the Annals of Internal Medicine shows that acupuncture helped reduce pain in Chronic Pelvic Pain syndrome. There have been many studies in the past that showed acupuncture helped CP/CPPS. This study is exceptionally important because it is the largest study to date that showed acupuncture to be effective in this condition.
Research into Acupuncture for Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome
This recent clinical study showed that acupuncture strongly reduced pain in men with chronic pelvic pain. This trial had about 400 patients, which is fairly large for an acupuncture study. One group received real acupuncture at points at Zhongliao (BL33), Huiyang (BL35), Shenshu (BL23), and Sanyinjiao (SP6). The other group received placebo acupuncture points. Each group came in for 20 visits over the course of eight weeks. The real acupuncture points are on the lower back and sacrum area. This acupuncture treatment approach aims at reducing tension in muscles and calming pain through the nerves that go to the pelvic floor. This treatment will help improve circulation and speed healing.
Real Acupuncture Reduced Pain
Pelvic pain comes with many unpleasant symptoms including urinary pain and difficulty as well as pain in the pelvic floor, genitals, lower back and sacrum area. By week four, those who received real acupuncture had a significant reduction in symptoms vs those who received the placebo acupuncture. What’s amazing is that those who received real acupuncture had lasting results long after the study concluded. At week 32 (that’s 24 weeks after the study finished there was still a reduction in the pain and increase in quality of life in the the group that received real acupuncture.
