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Cited by 477

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 54 of the 54 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Mechanical signaling through connective tissue: a mechanism for the therapeutic effect of acupuncture

Langevin, Helene M., Churchill, David L., Cipolla, Marilyn J.·2001·The FASEB Journal

Abstract

The mechanism of action of acupuncture remains largely unknown. The reaction to acupuncture needling known as ‘de qi’, widely viewed as essential to the therapeutic effect of acupuncture, may be a key to understanding its mechanism of action. De qi includes a characteristic needling sensation, perceived by the patient, and ‘needle grasp’ perceived by the acupuncturist. During needle grasp, the acupuncturist feels pulling and increased resistance to further movement of the inserted needle. We hypothesize that 1) needle grasp is due to mechanical coupling between the needle and connective tissue with winding of tissue around the needle during needle rotation and 2) needle manipulation transmits a mechanical signal to connective tissue cells via mechanotransduction. Such a mechanism may explain local and remote, as well as long‐term effects of acupuncture.—Langevin, H. M., Churchill, D. L., Cipolla, M. J. Mechanical signaling through connective tissue: a mechanism for the therapeutic effect of acupuncture. FASEB J. 15, 2275–2282 (2001)

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Metadata

Authors
Langevin, H. M., Churchill, D. L., & Cipolla, M. J.
Venue
The FASEB Journal
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2001-10
Volume
15
Issue
12
Pages
2275-2282
ISSN
  • 0892-6638 (ISSN-L)
  • 1530-6860
OpenAlex
W1972059159
Cited by
477
References
54
FWCI
11.57
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed

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CoChat. (2026). Citation check: Mechanical signaling through connective tissue: a mechanism for the therapeutic effect of acupuncture. https://app.cochat.ai/papers/10.1096/fj.01-0015hyp
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Langevin, H. M., Churchill, D. L., & Cipolla, M. J. (2001). Mechanical signaling through connective tissue: a mechanism for the therapeutic effect of acupuncture. The FASEB Journal. https://doi.org/10.1096/fj.01-0015hyp

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Contains information from the Semantic Scholar Academic Graph Datasets, made available under the ODC Attribution License (ODC-BY 1.0).

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