Characterization of the

Table 10 Relations of acupuncture sensations to functions of afferent nerve fibers

Afferent Nerve Fibers	Diameter	Velocity	Functions *	Acupuncture Sensations (humans)
Group	(μm)	(m/s)
β II myelinated	8 – 13	40 ~ 70	touch, vibration	numbness
Aγ III "	4 – 8	15 ~ 40	touch, pressure	heaviness, pressure, fullness
Aδ III "	1 – 4	5 ~ 15	pain, warmth, cold, pressure	soreness, pressure, pain, warmth, cold
C IV unmyelinated	0.2 – 1	0.2 ~ 2	pain, warmth, cold, pressure autonomic postsynaptic, olfactory	pain, soreness, warmth, cold, pressure

*[4,14]
** [3–6, 9]
The complex pattern of sensations in the deqi response suggests involvement of a wide spectrum of myelinated and unmyelinated nerve fibers, particularly the slower conducting fibers in the tendinomuscular layers. The majority of the deqi sensations, such as aching, soreness, dull pain, and warmth involve the slower conducting Aδ and C fibers. Pressure may not be a good discriminator because it involves several nerve fiber types. Numbness and tingling, relatively common in acupuncture, involve the Aβ fibers, but they are not as specific for acupuncture as aching, soreness and dull pain that involve the Aδ and C fibers (See Table 2).

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