Modeling and Simulation of the Interstitial Medium Deformation Induced by the Needle Manipulation During Acupuncture

Abstract

In this paper, we study the effects of inserted needle on the subcutaneous interstitial flow. A goal is to describe the physical stress affecting cells during acupuncture treatment. The model consists of the convective Brinkman equations to describe the flow through a fibrous medium. Numerical studies in FreeFem++ are performed to illustrate the acute physical stress developed by the implantation of a needle that triggers the physiological reactions of acupuncture. We emphasize the importance of numerical experiments for advancing in modeling in acupuncture.