The physiological mechanisms of acupuncture analgesia and its applications within veterinary practice

The use of acupuncture in modern veterinary practice is becoming increasingly popular in the treatment of both acute and chronic painful conditions. Having evolved over thousands of years, acupuncture has become a scientifically driven, medically appropriate therapy for patients of human and veterinary medicine (Park, 2002). An increasing number of experimental and clinical studies are now showing measurable clinical benefits with specific biological effects following acupuncture treatments (Cheng, 2014; Fry et al, 2014). By inserting a thin sterile needle into a series of acupuncture points, a compressive treatment is created which addresses discomfort and disease via a multitude of path-ways. Acupuncture points have specific anatomic locations, and with advances in neuroimaging and molecular biology techniques, they have been found to be richly innervated by small arterioles and venules, lymphatics, free nerve endings, immunomodulatory cells such as mast cells, and in regions with an autonomic nervous association. Examples include sites of nerve branching, neurovascular bundles, foraminal exits, and nerve penetration of fascia (Ma, 2005; Dewey and Xie, 2021). Many acupuncture points are in close proximity to regions that generate pain and muscular dysfunction, which include musculotendinous junctions, myofascial trigger points, and muscle motor points. The sole targeting of myofascial trigger points with acupuncture needles is a common practice used by both human and veterinary practitioners and is sometimes referred to as ‘dry needling’ (Fry et al, 2014).