Meniscus Tear

The blood vessels in the meniscus are distributed only in the lateral one-third (red band), while the medial two-thirds (white band) has no blood supply, resulting in very poor natural healing ability. Acupuncture treatment does not aim to overcome these limitations by regenerating cartilage, but rather aids in functional recovery through the reduction of inflammatory cytokines within the joint cavity, the regulation of pain gates (endogenous opioid secretion), and the relaxation of surrounding muscles. Randomized controlled studies report that acupuncture significantly improves pain and functional indicators associated with knee osteoarthritis and meniscal lesions. From a Korean medicine perspective, persistent blockage of the flow of Qi (vital energy) along the medial side of the knee leads to recurring pain and swelling. By unblocking this Qi flow with acupuncture, local microcirculation improves, promoting the absorption of exudates and the supply of nutrients to tissues. Dongjedang employs a step-by-step external treatment strategy that combines standard fine needles with fine needles to separate adhesions around the joint, stimulate cell regeneration signals using fire needles and thread embeddings, and add anti-inflammatory effects with pharmacopuncture. The goal is to create an environment where the remaining cartilage can maintain its proper function, rather than directly regenerating torn fibers.