Spring 1982 - Athletic Training History

The Use of Electroacutherapyin the Treatment ofInversion Ankle Sprains4The term electroacutherapy (EA) is used in theliterature to refer to two different thoughrelated techniques for the relief of pain. One is theclassical needling or insertion of needles at specific pointswhere insertion of the needle is accompanied by an electricalcurrent rather than the more tedious twirlingand/or rocking of the needle by hand. The other refers toa needleless transcutaneous stimulation of specific pointsby using electrode plates placed on the skin. Anydiscussion of electroacutherapy necessitates a considerationof the principles of acupuncture upon which itis based.Acupuncture TheoryAcupuncture along with herbal medicine comprisestraditional Chinese medicine. It was well developed evenin ancient times as evidenced by the Hwang Ti Nei Ching, 9or the Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine,which dates back to before 2000 B.C. and contains fairlyadvanced techniques and descriptions. It has beensuggested that rudimentary acupuncture may be as old as7000 years. 2 The first documented reference to acupuncturein Western culture was in the 16th century, but itwas not until the 19th century that much interest was apparent,as was evidenced by the number of workspublished on the subject. Most of this interest was inFrance and Italy. In the early 20th century acupuncturewas taught, studied and used extensively in France,mostly due to the efforts of Soulie de Morant, a diplomat,who researched and published a very influencial book onacupuncture in 1939. 24 However, it was not until the early1970's, with the visit of the American table tennis team in1971 and President Nixon's visit in 1972, that acupuncturein China entered the consciousness of the Americanpublic. Since that time, the amount of research,publications and interest in the theory and technique ofacupuncture in Western medical literature has increaseddramatically.The Chinese make no distinction between arteries,veins, or nerves when explaining the functions of thebody. 11 They concentrated instead on an elaborate systemof forces whose interplay was thought to regulate allbodily functions. This traditional philosophical ChineseDr. Prentice is an Assistant Professor in the Department ofPhysical Education, and Coordinator of the GraduateSpecialization in Sports Medicine at The University of NorthCarolina at Chapel Hill 27514-William E. Prentice, PhD, ATCGATE CONTROL INHIBITIONInformation ProcessingAreas of the BraintAscendingSpinal Tractsj Substantia j! Gelatinosa iLarge SmallDiameter DiameterFibers FibersFigure 1Athletic Training • Spring 1982 15