Liu Lizhou, Skinner Margot A, McDonough Suzanne M, Baxter George David
Centre for Health, Activity and Rehabilitation Research, School of Physiotherapy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
Centre for Health and Rehabilitation Technologies, Institute of Nursing and Health Research, School of Health Sciences, Ulster University, Co Antrim, United Kingdom.
Complement Ther Med. 2016 Jun;26:28-32. doi: 10.1016/j.ctim.2016.02.013. Epub 2016 Feb 22.
Acupuncture originates in China, and its effectiveness has been well documented in musculoskeletal pain disorders and other conditions. A widely accepted contemporary medical treatment option for myofascial pain is trigger point needling. Although there are many differences between Traditional Chinese Medicine acupuncture theory and the myofascial trigger point needling framework, it is argued that the stimulation sites for these two needling modalities are similar.
In this paper we examined the correspondence between Traditional Chinese Medicine acupoints and myofascial trigger points. Based on this correspondence, we considered exploration of Ah-shi points from four aspects: pain recognition, distal Ah-shi points, Anti-Ah-shi points, and management approaches.
The extent of correspondence is influenced by definitions of acupoints. Myofascial trigger points are significantly correlated to Traditional Chinese Medicine acupoints, including primary channel acupoints, extra acupoints, and Ah-shi points. Considering the correlation between MTrPs and acupoints and the rarely-studied research area of Ah-shi points, it may be reasonable to incorporate research findings of myofascial trigger points into further investigations into Ah-shi points. Correspondence between myofascial trigger points and acupoints enhances contemporary understanding of the mechanism of action of acupuncture, and may serve to facilitate increased integration of acupuncture into clinical management.
针灸起源于中国，其有效性在肌肉骨骼疼痛疾病及其他病症中已有充分记载。肌筋膜疼痛的一种广泛接受的当代医学治疗选择是触发点针刺。尽管中医针灸理论与肌筋膜触发点针刺框架存在诸多差异，但有人认为这两种针刺方式的刺激部位相似。
在本文中，我们研究了中医穴位与肌筋膜触发点之间的对应关系。基于这种对应关系，我们从疼痛识别、远端阿是穴、反阿是穴和管理方法四个方面对阿是穴进行了探讨。
对应程度受穴位定义的影响。肌筋膜触发点与中医穴位显著相关，包括本经穴位、经外奇穴和阿是穴。考虑到肌筋膜触发点与穴位之间的相关性以及阿是穴这一研究较少的领域，将肌筋膜触发点的研究结果纳入对阿是穴的进一步研究可能是合理的。肌筋膜触发点与穴位之间的对应关系增进了当代对针灸作用机制的理解，并可能有助于促进针灸在临床管理中的更多应用。
