Medical Acupuncture

What is medical Acupuncture?

Western Medical Acupuncture, sometimes referred to as Trigger Point Acupuncture or Trigger Point Dry Needling, is an adaptation of Chinese Acupuncture used by conventional western medical and allied health professionals that utilises a modern understanding of human anatomy and physiology to bring about changes in the nervous and musculoskeletal system.

What is it used for?

It is mainly used to treat musculoskeletal pain, including tight knotted muscles or “Trigger Points” (and Trigger Point Referred Pain Syndromes such as tension headaches, back pain and some forms of sciatica and nausea.

How does Medical Acupuncture Work?

Fine needles are inserted into and beyond the skin into precise muscular knots called "Trigger Points". It is thought that this creates an increase in blood flow and oxygen precisely where it is needed in the muscles tissue thus allowing that portion of muscle to relax and the associated pain and other phenomena to improve. Trigger Points are often responsible for the excessive tension, (referred) pain and other problems associated with tension headaches, whiplash, fibromyalgia and related disorders. The needles can also be used to release stubborn deep bands of muscle that are just too difficult to reach with hands on therapy alone, for example the deepest layer of muscles in the back or the deep buttock muscles.

 I have tried (Traditional Chinese) Acupuncture (TCA)  before, will what you offer be any different?

Practitioners of Traditional Chinese Acupuncture aim to improve the balance of Yin/Yang and circulation of qi (“chi”) energy that according to Traditional Chinese Theory is thought to flow just under the skin. Hence, with TCA, needles are often just inserted into the skin and no deeper, usually without any discomfort, it is not uncommon to use 20 or 30 needles. However with the Medical Acupuncture we offer the aim is to release tight bands of muscle or “Trigger Points” so the needles are taken that bit deeper into the muscles. Ideally this will produce a definite involuntary “twitch” response in the muscle indicating the precise individual muscles fibres at fault have been targeted, often moving the needle just one or two millimetres can make all the difference to an effective treatment.  This technique is no more uncomfortable than experiencing a deep massage and it is perfectly safe, provided the Practitioner has an expert knowledge of human anatomy (as all ours do). With Trigger Point Acupuncture usually fewer needles are used than with TCA, commonly between 1 and 10.

 How many sessions will it take until I feel improvement?

Complete improvement will depend on the problem and how severe it is but we aim to get you feeling significant improvement after just one session.

Who performs Medical Acupuncture at your clinics?

One of the defining features of our clinics is that all our osteopaths are trained in Medical Acupuncture or "Trigger Point Dry Needling". We have found this to be an invaluable adjunct to osteopathic / physiotherapy treatment, dramatically improving the treatment responses and rates when coupled with the other forms of treatment on offer at our clinics

 If acupuncture is offered by other Osteopaths or Physios will this be the same Medical form of Acupuncture you offer?

Not always, many physiotherapists for example have been trained in more traditional forms of acupuncture and so may not offer the precise trigger point intramuscular acupuncture that we do. Furthermore the effective application of Trigger Point Acupuncture relies on sensitive palpation skills whereby the therapist feels for the precise muscle fibres that need to be needled. Such skill varies amongst individuals but we only recruit therapists with excellent palpation, this cannot be said for all companies.

 What if I don’t like needles.

Then our physios and osteopaths will use alternatives such as acupressure or Trigger Point Massage. This may not produce as much or as quick an improvement as with intramuscular acupuncture but these are still very effective techniques.