Contemporary Medical Acupuncture (CMA) is a therapeutic modality that consists of stimulating areas of the body with acupuncture needles and electric current to produce changes in the nervous system in response to pain. It is used to treat pain and dysfunction related to the body’s normal joint movement. CMA may also be used in the management of chronic or seemingly irreversible dysfunction.

This approach differs from a Classical Acupuncture approach to treatment. CMA approaches treatment through the physiology of the nervous system. In a Classical Acupuncture approach, treatment is based on the concept of circulating body energy, or Qi. The Yin and Yang Meridians (lines of energy in the body) are the major pathways in which the Qi flow. These Meridians are required to be in balance at all times. Diagnosis and treatment in this model are based on the amount, quality and movement of the Qi.

Though CMA integrates components of this model into its concepts, this approach relies on modulation of the nervous system pathways to affect change in the body. Through a detailed assessment, it is determined which nervous system pathways are being over or under-stimulated, resulting in the client’s symptoms. Very fine needles are inserted into locations in the body that correspond to the cause of the underlying dysfunction. The insertion of needles can affect local or global change in the body based on the location of the acupuncture points that are chosen and their effects on the body’s nervous system.

When inserting a needle, a therapist practicing CMA knows what the needle is doing locally, at the spinal cord and in the brain that will aid in resolving the client’s dysfunction.