ACUPUNCTURE
ACUPUNTURE
At Enrich Therapies acupuncture can be offered as part of your Physiotherapy management.
Physiotherapists are the largest group of medical professionals in the UK who practice acupuncture.
I qualified in acupuncture with the Acupuncture Association of Chartered Physiotherapists (AACP) many years ago after having done post graduate studies of acupuncture, predominantly in the musculoskeletal area. The selection of acupuncture points that I use is based on western acupuncture, scientific research and clinical evidence.
Evidence
In a meta- analysis of 114 suitable trials and 9709 patients who reported pain from osteoarthritis of
the knee, ‘acupuncture was significantly better at reducing pain in the short term than sham
acupuncture, muscle strengthening exercise, weight loss, pulsed electromagnetic fields, placebo,
neuromuscular stimulation and no intervention.’ Corbett M. S. et al (Spring 2016). Acupuncture and other physical modalities for the relief of pain due to osteoarthritis of the knee: network meta-analysis. Acupuncture in Physiotherapy, Volume 28, Number 1, 11-14.
In this meta-analysis of 14 randomised controlled trials, the authors concluded that acupuncture was
effective in reducing short term neck pain. Fu L. M., Li J. T. & Wu W, S. (2009) Randomised controlled trials of acupuncture for neck pain: systematic review and meta-analysis, 133-145. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine 15 (2).
There have been numerous case reports over the years of successful outcomes of acupuncture
combined with Physiotherapy for tennis elbow, rotator cuff tendinopathies, chronic neck and low
back pain, whiplash associated disorder, trochanteric pain syndrome and plantar fasciitis.
Why Acupunture
Acupuncture stimulates the body to produce its own pain and stress relieving chemicals- endorphins,
serotonin and oxytocin. Melatonin is also released which can have an effect on improving sleep.
Functional MRI studies have shown the effect of acupuncture on the pain pathways of the brain. Acupuncture also stimulates nerve fibres to block out pain signals and reduce the sensitivity of tender points in the body.
The body has an ability to self-repair and acupuncture can enhance this by balancing the body. The acupuncture needles will stimulate the flow of Qi which circulates in channels or meridians in the body. The stimulation of points along the meridian will help improve the stagnation of Qi or any deficiency in Qi and thus restore Qi flow and balance.
How long is my treatment
A typical acupuncture treatment lasts between 10 and 30 minutes. As a temporary increase in pain can occur within the first 48 hrs, the first treatment time is usually more brief and then gradually increased. Acupuncture doesn’t work for everyone, usually after three treatments it is clear whether it will be helpful or not. 6 treatments are usually recommended for acute conditions. More may be necessary for long term conditions.
Sometimes acupuncture needles will be used only for 30-60 seconds to release a small patch of tightly contracted muscle- a myofascial trigger point (‘muscle knots’). Trigger points are points within the muscles, tendons, ligaments and joint capsule that are hypersensitive and painful. Common areas would be the deep gluteal muscles such as in ‘piriformis syndrome’, or in the shoulders. This type of needling can be quite effective to release tight muscles prior to doing exercises to re-train and correct muscle imbalances.
Contact
Please feel free to contact me by phone or email. Or alternatively fill in the form below, and I will get back to you as soon as I can.
PHONE NUMBER: +44 7403 224945
EMAIL: laura@enrichtherapies.com
Pilates classes are held in Highfield, Chandler’s Ford and Empress Road Industrial Estate, Southampton
Physiotherapy and one to one Pilates is at Laura’s home in Bassett, Southampton. Address given when making an appointment.