Multiscale Modeling of In Vitro Acupuncture Needling

Traditional acupuncture therapy involves inserting needles at acupuncture points across the body and twisting them, which winds soft tissues around the acupuncture needle. In order to better understand this phenomenon Julias et al [1, 2] conducted in vitro acupuncture needling on collagen gels as a soft tissue analog. Using polarized light microscopy (PLM) (Fig. 1) they observed changes in collagen alignment and measured the torque developed on the needle during twisting. While these results are insightful, what remains unknown are the forces transmitted to the tissue surrounding the acupuncture point via the needle. Computational modeling allows us to calculate these forces, which could never be measured experimentally.