The Mechanics Basis of Acupuncture Therapy

摘要

The effectiveness of acupuncture therapy has been confirmed by numerous studies and incorporated into healthcare systems in many countries. However, the acupuncture therapy still faces some challenges, such as insufficient quantification of the acupuncture process, difficulties in inheriting acupuncture techniques, and inadequate accuracy in acupoint positioning. With the development of interdisciplinary integration in recent years, particularly the integration of engineering and medicine, new perspectives and methods have been proposed to address these challenges in acupuncture techniques. The historical development process of the core mechanical elements in acupuncture techniques was reviewed, including the mechanical stimulation tools (needles), the mechanical stimulation stages (insertion and manipulation stages), and the mechanical stimulation targets (acupoints). Through a comprehensive analysis of these 3 mechanical elements, their quantification and impacts on the acupuncture process and therapeutic effects were summarized. Meanwhile, relevant mechanical experiments and models conducted in quantitative acupuncture research were comprehensively recommended, to deepen the understanding of the acupuncture process. Then the cutting-edge research achievements in acupuncture robots were summed up, aimed to enhance the inheritance of acupuncture techniques and promote its international standardization process. Finally, this article outlines the future research direction of acupuncture mechanics.