MEDICAL ACUPUNCTURE
What does it feel like?
When the needle reaches the desired point the sensation is often described, as a ‘tingling’ and delivering immediate relief from muscular pain.
Needles are either inserted for a few seconds or left in place for minutes depending on the effect required.Medical acupuncture is available with Osteopathic treatment (at no extra cost), or as a standalone treatment.
Medical acupuncture is shown to be effective and safe in:
• Pain Relief
• Knee Osteoarthritis
• Low Back Pain
• Headaches
David’s acupuncture needles are sterile, & disposed with after one use only.
Medical acupuncture or Dry needling; is an adaptation of Chinese acupuncture using current knowledge of anatomy, physiology and pathology, and the principles of evidence based medicine. The placement of needles is related to anatomical knowledge primarily affecting nerve impulses and myofascial trigger points.
David, (having completed postgraduate training with the British Medical Acupuncture Society), uses medical acupuncture in conjunction with osteopathy, where appropriate and with your consent.
For those who do not like the idea of using acupuncture needles David offers acupressure as an alternative, along with Osteopathy.
Acupressure is a highly successful approach for a range conditions, especially tension headaches and other myofascial referred pain symptoms.
Some other situations in which acupuncture might be used:
• Functional bowel or bladder problems such as IBS or irritable bladder, and even mild forms of urinary incontinence
• Allergies such as; hay fever, perennial allergic rhinitis, and some types of allergic rashes such as urticaria or prickly heat
• Some other skin problems such as discrete rashes and ulcers, pruritus (itching), and some forms of dermatitis
• Sinus problems and chronic catarrh
• Fibromyalgia Deluze 1992, BMJ. Martin DP 2006, Mayo Clinic.
• Help with stopping smoking
• Menstrual and menopausal symptoms e.g. period pains and hot flushes. Additional acupuncture in patients with dysmenorrhoea was associated with improvements in pain and quality of life as compared to treatment with usual care alone. (arc) Study Claudia Witt
Typically, fine needles are inserted through the skin and left in position briefly, sometimes with manual or electrical stimulation. The number of needles varies but may be only two or three.Peripheral nerve stimulation The application of acupuncture needles in a specific musculoskeletal area that uses high intensity nerve stimulation with an electric stimulator to eradicate pain. This method has been a proven to be a safe and effective method for more quickly relieving deep pain.
David as your Osteopath, will assess your case and offer the specific treatments, which are tailored individually for you.
Where conditions are named in this site it is either because there is research into that particular condition, or to serve to illustrate the kinds of symptoms which might respond to treatment.