Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2019 Aug 14:2019:6064358.
doi: 10.1155/2019/6064358. eCollection 2019.

Understanding Acupoint Sensitization: A Narrative Review on Phenomena, Potential Mechanism, and Clinical Application

Huijuan Tan  1 , Steve Tumilty  1 , Cathy Chapple  1 , Lizhou Liu  1 , Suzanne McDonough  1   2 , Haiyan Yin  3 , Shuguang Yu  3 , G David Baxter  1
Affiliations
Review

Understanding Acupoint Sensitization: A Narrative Review on Phenomena, Potential Mechanism, and Clinical Application

Huijuan Tan et al. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. .

Abstract

As part of traditional Chinese medicine, acupoints are considered a dynamic functional area, which can reflect the internal condition of the body. When the body is suffering from disease or injury, corresponding acupoints are believed to be activated and manifest in several sensitized forms, including expansion of the receptive field, pain sensitization, and heat sensitization. Such phenomena are believed to gradually disappear concomitantly with recovery from the disease. Acupoint states are therefore changeable according to health status, a phenomenon known as acupoint sensitization. This review aims to provide an overview of acupoint sensitization based on existing research results and determine priorities for future research. Systematic literature retrieval was conducted in Medline, Embase, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, and AMED from inception to 18 July 2018. Current evidence from research findings to date indicate that acupoint sensitization is based on neurogenic inflammation and that stimulation of sensitized acupoints presents a potential trend of generating a better clinical effect when compared with stimulation of unsensitized points.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and publication of this article.

References

    1. Zhang X. Y., Ma L. G. The Yellow Emperor’s Canon of Internal Medicine-Miraculous Pivot. Chengdu, China: Sichuan Science and Technology Press; 2008.
    1. Lu Y., Zhang Z. T., Luo Y. F., Tang Z. S., Xu Z. Anatomic structure of “Shaoze” (SI 1), “Qiangu” (SI 2), “Houxi” (SI 3), “Yanggu” (SI 5) and “Xiaohai” (SI 8) regions of hand-taiyang meridian in the rabbit’s forelimb. Zhen Ci Yan Jiu. 2013;38(6):473–477. - PubMed
    1. Sun X. G., Zhang L. Q., Wang N., et al. Macroscopical anatomic structure of acupoint “Shangyang” (LI 1), “Erjian” (LI 2), “Sanjian” (LI 3), “Hegu” (LI 4) and “Quchi” (LI 11) regions in the forelimb in rabbits. Zhen Ci Yan Jiu. 2012;37(1):31–37. - PubMed
    1. Lou X. F., Jiang S. H. Anatomical characters and classification of acupoint. Zhongguo Zhen Jiu. 2012;32(4):319–323. - PubMed
    1. Zhou W., Benharash P. Effects and mechanisms of acupuncture based on the principle of meridians. Journal of Acupuncture and Meridian Studies. 2014;7(4):190–193. doi: 10.1016/j.jams.2014.02.007. - DOI - PubMed