Magnitude and speed of needling during lifting and thrusting in classical tonification and sedation techniques

During acupuncture treatment, tonification (reinforcing) and sedation (reduction) techniques are used to maximise treatment effectiveness.1 Needle manipulation is highly individualised among acupuncturists, and there is no established standard. Quantification of needle movements during insertion and manipulation has also been a challenge.2 However, recent three-dimensional (3D) motion tracking technology using an infrared system (Acusensors)3 4 and an electromagnet (trakSTAR)5 has enabled the quantification of needle movement. Through the measurement of displacement, rotation, torque and force, studies have found significant variations in amplitude and duration of needling between practitioners when instructed to perform acupuncture in their own fashion, but the movement was consistent between acupuncturists.3 4 In addition to the displacement, the aim of our study was to analyse the magnitude and speed of needle movement during the lifting and thrusting movements of tonification and sedation.The participants were recruited from both public and private Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) clinics in Singapore. Ethics approval was sought from the Singhealth’s Centralised Review Institutional Review Board (CIRB Ref: 2016/2765).### The experimentThe acupuncture needle insertion was conducted on floral foam (figure 1A). A 0.30×50 mm disposable stainless steel acupuncture needle was used. The acupuncturists were instructed to perform the following needle insertion techniques: (1) heavy thrusting and light lifting; and (2) light lifting and heavy thrusting. Each technique …