Behind every chronic pain pattern, there is a hypermobile joint. In fact, hypermobile joint and loose ligaments are hidden contributors to chronic muscle tension, joint pain, and unhealing injuries.
Prolo-acupuncture, shorts for proliferation acupuncture, can be used to tighten up loose ligaments by helping them to shorten and hypertrophy (bulk up.) Tight ligaments provide stability to the joints and therefore reduce the root problem of many chronic pain patterns.
How does it work?
Ligament is a short band of tough, flexible fibrous connective tissue which connects two bones or cartilages or holds together a joint. Ligament is like a rubber band or a bungee cord. it can lose its elasticity if it is overstretched to its limit over a period of time. Ligaments can be overstretched due to overuse or injuries. When a ligament loses its elasticity, it has a hard time providing stability to the joint that it is attached to. As a result, the muscles that are attached to the joint need to work overtime in order to compensate and create stability for the joint.
For example, in chronic neck pain, loose acromioclavicular ligament in acromioclavicular joint (AC joint) can be the root of the pain. In order to compensate for the lack of stability at AC joint, the upper trapezius muscle, which attaches to the clavicle, has to overwork to create stability. As a result, people with loose AC joint always have tight neck and shoulders. Imagine your upper trapezius muscle constantly firing. It can cause trigger points, or "knots" in the muscle belly. In addition, the upper trapezius muscle also attaches to the spinous process of the neck. Overtime, it can cause pain as well as potential bulging disc and facet joint tendinopathy. Treating the loose AC joint ligament can be crucial in completely resolving neck and shoulder pain.
Other commonly overstretched ligaments include:
Anterior talofibular ligament for ankle pain and instability
Sacral tuberous ligament and ilio-lumbar ligament for chronic low back pain
Patellar ligament for knee pain and weak patella tracking
Medial collateral ligament (MCL) & anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) for knee injury
Transverse humeral ligament for shoulder pain and instability
Triangular fibrocartilage complex for wrist pain and weakness