Deep muscles are the muscles located deep within the body. If you’re interested in fitness or health, the term “inner muscles” will likely sound familiar. These muscles are believed to serve various functions, including supporting bones and joints to maintain proper posture, and stabilizing internal organs in their correct positions. Deep muscles are those attached to bone that cannot be touched from the body’s surface.
This is an original acupuncture technique developed by the clinic director, Toshiyoshi Kadoya, based on extensive experience and clinical results. It’s a technique where the needle is inserted all the way to the bone where the deep muscle attaches, changing the state of the muscle tension (stiffness/knots). Using a single needle, it dissolves layer by layer the knots that massage, stretching, or shallow acupuncture simply cannot reach.
Even though the needle goes deep, it’s inserted slowly, so there’s less pain than one might expect. A distinctive feature is the “hibiki” (resonance/deep sensation) felt as the tension releases.
Deep Muscle Acupuncture(DMA) is particularly effective for chronic, progressively worsening muscle and tendon conditions such as stiff shoulders, frozen shoulder, lower back pain, sciatica, knee pain, “computer syndrome” (repetitive strain from PC use), and fibromyalgia.
What Kind of Acupuncture Is DMA, Exactly?
What makes it so remarkable?
Let’s explain this clearly through a conversation between Dr. Kadoya, the pioneer of Deep Muscle Acupuncture, and a patient, “Mr. Yoshida” (pseudonym).
Mr. Yoshida:
Hello. This time, the heavy, dull feeling in my back is gone. Naoshiya Acupuncture Clinic is known for its original technique, Deep Muscle Acupuncture. I sort of understand it, but sort of don’t (laughs). So tell me straight — what’s so amazing about it?
Dr. Kadoya:
Before explaining the technique itself, let me explain deep muscles.
If you’re interested in training or health, the term “inner muscles” will ring a bell. Deep muscles are exactly that — the muscles that train your core. As the name suggests, they’re the muscles deep inside the body, attached to bone, and unreachable by touch from the surface.
Muscles work in layers — from shallow to deep — with multiple muscles overlapping to enable a wide range of movements (for example, the abdominal muscle group).
In contrast to deep muscles, the muscles located near the surface are called superficial muscles.
腹筋群
そして、深層筋に対して表面の浅いところにある筋肉が表層筋。
Mr. Yoshida:
I see. The importance of training the inner muscles is something that’s become quite a hot topic these days.
Dr. Kadoya:
Exactly. Deep muscles and superficial muscles serve different functions. Mr. Yoshida, do you know what the difference is?
Mr. Yoshida:
The difference… I’ve heard that training your inner muscles strengthens your core. But I don’t really understand specifically why that’s good for the body.
Dr. Kadoya:
Deep muscles work to support the body. They attach to bone and support it, playing the role of maintaining posture.
Superficial muscles, on the other hand, are mainly active during large movements — they’re the muscles that come into play during physical labor or sports. Unlike deep muscles, they don’t play a role in supporting the body.
Why Knots Form in the Deep Muscles of the Neck and Shoulders
The reason massage, stretching, or shallow acupuncture fail to relieve persistent muscle knots is that they don’t address the knots in the deep muscles.
People who work all day using computers or smartphones develop stiffness and knots in the deep muscles of their neck and shoulders for two reasons:
Of course, this isn’t limited to computer or smartphone work. The same applies to drivers, musicians, athletes, and other professions. Fundamentally, work itself involves repeating the same actions or movements to improve and produce results. In other words, everyone places strain on certain specific muscles, meaning anyone could be carrying knots in their deep muscles.
Mr. Yoshida:
I see! Since I’m someone who works on a computer all day, I think I understand. That explains why, no matter how many times I go for a massage, I keep returning to that same painful state!
Dr. Kadoya:
Yes, exactly. Our clinic was quick to focus on these deep muscles, and we insert the needle all the way to the bone where the deep muscle attaches to change the state of the tension. When we do this, chronic knots that never went away can change in an instant.
When a deep muscle has a knot, the muscle loses its original function and becomes “paralyzed.” If chronic tension is left untreated, the knot continues to grow. Many people experience nausea or headaches caused by poor blood circulation resulting from tension in the back or shoulders.
When a deep muscle becomes paralyzed, you won’t feel the “hibiki” sensation from acupuncture, and won’t feel anything at all.
The Key Point of Deep Muscle Acupuncture Treatment: Releasing Muscle Tension
By slowly bringing the needle tip to the paralyzed point, sensation in the needle tip gradually returns, and chronic tension is released. This, in fact, is the crucial point — an original technique that other acupuncture clinics cannot imitate.
Needling the Center of the Knot
Every knot has a core at its center. We narrow it down until we can identify that core as a single point. By precisely placing the needle tip at that point, we dissolve the tension — this is the appeal of Deep Muscle Acupuncture.
That’s why, after receiving treatment at our clinic, muscle tension releases, and the pain and heavy, dull sensations disappear. Patients are often amazed at how their body feels lighter, as if they’ve become a different person.
“Smartphone Neck” and Acute Lower Back Pain (“Gikkuri-goshi“)
For example, acute lower back pain occurs because tension in the deep muscles was left unaddressed, causing the deep muscles — which are supposed to support the body — to stop functioning properly. The deep muscles then abandon their essential job of supporting the body. This is the “paralyzed” state of the deep muscles.
When this happens, the superficial muscles scramble to take over the role of supporting the body instead. But since this isn’t their main job and they’re not suited for it, they can’t sustain it for long, and end up becoming inflamed and “crying out.”
This kind of situation — similar to acute lower back pain — occurs in various parts of the body, including the neck and shoulders.
Television and other media have reported on the connection between needling the suboccipital muscle group and “smartphone neck” (text neck). Our clinic has long specialized in needling the base of the neck for this exact condition, and when I saw that report, I thought, “finally, people are starting to understand.”
Once you understand it, it’s actually quite simple. The reason our treatment method is effective for lower back, shoulder, neck, and back tension, as well as various other symptoms, is because we have mastered the mechanics of muscle and blood flow — and because our treatment is performed by an acupuncturist who has mastered the technique of releasing paralysis and tension through the needle.
Needling the neck is dangerous unless performed by an acupuncturist with proper technique and experience.
Mr. Yoshida:
I see, now I understand how important the deep muscles are! I was amazed that the discomfort and heaviness I could never get rid of anywhere else disappeared like magic with a single needle that released the tension.
Acupuncture: A Technique That Reaches Deep Muscles Others Can’t
With hand massage, it’s impossible to tell whether the deep muscles are paralyzed. Even if someone can sense it, passing that skill on to future generations would be difficult — because accurately delivering stimulation to a precise depth of 3–5 cm using manual technique alone is extremely difficult.
The needle is a tool that has existed for two thousand years. While the material, thickness, and length of needles have evolved, the basic form has remained unchanged, and it has been used since ancient times as a tool for treating illness. There’s no better tool for directly reaching internal structures of the body, such as muscles and tendons. By adjusting the length and thickness according to the patient’s body type, muscles, and symptoms, the needle can be inserted at both shallow and deep levels.
