Muscular pain may be acute or chronic. Acute muscle pain commonly occurs after contusions and soft tissue injuries. Muscular pain and other associated soft-tissue injuries respond well to acupuncture therapy. In addition to pain-relief, acupuncture promotes healing and resolution of the injury. Most acute injuries will require a brief but intense period of therapy, often every other day, or even on consecutive days. In addition to acupuncture it would be helpful to initially rest and ice the injured area and apply compression when appropriate. A gradual return to normal activity through incremental exercise would also be of benefit in promoting healing.

Chronic muscle pain may be due to many different causes. Viral infections, immune-related diseases e.g. polymyalgia rheumatica and dermatomyositis, or drug-induced muscle irritability or damage can all cause chronic muscle pain. Electrolyte imbalance may also predispose individuals to muscle irritability. Local factors e.g. degenerative changes to joints, and inflamed ligaments, tendons and bursae, can all cause localised muscle pain as can neuralgic pain. Anaemia and low iron stores as well as copper accumulation have been reported to induce muscle irritability and pain. Chronic anxiety is another common factor. Conversely, magnesium and Vitamin D supplementation has been reported to alleviate muscle pain. Often multiple factors are involved.

Acupuncture will provide relief of symptoms for chronic muscle pain. Management will however require a more holistic approach as there are many factors which predispose individuals to chronic muscle spasm and chronic muscular pan. Long-term results will depend on the underlying cause of pain and management involves addressing these underlying factors. In addition, regular graded exercise is an essential component for sustained improvement..