Acupuncture

All our physiotherapists are qualified to use acupuncture for pain relief, using a mixture of western science and eastern teaching.

Eastern theory is based on meridians, meridians are said to have several functions:

• To transport: meridians are said to transport: qi (energy) blood, as well as sensation nourishing, warming and stimulating all the tissues of the body.
• To heal: meridians are also said to resist pathogen attack upon the body and a blocked meridian channel can lead to poor healing down that channel.

Most physiotherapists work to the western model but still use acupuncture as an adjunct to treatment as the meridian channels follow most of the major nerve pathways and modern scanning techniques and evidence have proven conclusively that acupuncture does have an effect on chronic and acute pain.

This is so as we know when someone is getting pain it is often due to a tight shortened and poorly vascularised muscle or muscle group which is exquisitely tender to touch which is known as a trigger point, where in eastern medicine you could say that the meridian is blocked!

By needling a point on a blocked meridian blood supply is restores and the nerve and stretch receptors are stimulated aiding a release in the trigger point and helping to restore the meridian and aid the healing process.

Acupuncture works extremely well for most people and there is rarely any side effects and is a natural way to seek pain relief and easing of pain symptoms and associated dysfunctions, most people feel immediate effects but it is always recommended that acupuncture is used at least 3 times to have a lasting effect on a condition.