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What is Acupuncture?

Acupuncture is frequently used in physiotherapy practice. Most people have heard of it but many people don’t know what it involves, what it’s used for, or how it works. Read on to find the answer to all of these questions and learn if acupuncture might be of benefit to you.


What is acupuncture?

Acupuncture has its origins in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and has been in existence for thousands of years. In TCM, it is used to treat a wide range of ailments, however the majority of physiotherapists (including the team here at The Physios), practice western acupuncture. The primary difference is that our knowledge of how acupuncture brings about change in the body is different to the beliefs held in TCM. More about this later.

The treatment involves having a series of fine needles inserted into various ‘points’ in the body. Western acupuncturists use the same points as TCM, but base their point selection on current knowledge of anatomy, physiology, pathology and best research.


How does it work?

In TCM, it is believed that acupuncture restores the flow of energy, or ‘qi’ (pronounced chee) within the body. In western acupuncture, we know through research that acupuncture stimulates the nervous system and the body’s own internal pain control system.


What conditions can be treated with acupuncture?

In physiotherapy, western acupuncture is used to treat pain resulting from musculoskeletal conditions. In practice, it is most commonly used in the management of neck and lower back conditions and pain during pregnancy, but it can be used to treat any condition where pain is a symptom. It is particularly helpful in cases where pain relieving medications are not well tolerated or when they may be contraindicated such as in pregnancy.

Other examples of conditions that can be treated with acupuncture include; whiplash, osteoarthritis, chronic tendinopathy (e.g. tennis elbow, golfers elbow), headaches/migraines, trigger points, nerve related pain such as sciatica.

This list is by no means exhaustive. If you’re not sure whether acupuncture is appropriate for your condition, please get in touch.


What can I expect?

At the Physios, acupuncture is always used as adjunct to hands on treatment and exercise based rehab. Your physiotherapist will advise you if acupuncture could be of benefit to you as part of your rehabilitation.

To ensure that those who are receiving acupuncture can receive regular treatment, we run a specific acupuncture clinic. We encourage people referred for acupuncture to commit initially to 4 sessions, as we find that this provides good clinical outcomes, and helps people plan their busy lives around a regular acupuncture treatment sessions. Additional sessions can then be booked if treatment is proving to be beneficial.

Each session will last up to 30 minutes, which will consist of a brief chat to understand how your condition is progressing. The needles will be left in place for 10-20 minutes.

Some people, such as Maggie below, opt to attend for acupuncture on a more long term basis to help them manage their condition long term. Maggie, attended the clinic for help managing a chronic neck condition. We were making reasonable progress with hands on treatment and exercise, but due to the severity of her pain, we wanted to try and speed up her recovery so we decided to commence acupuncture. At this point, her recovery really accelerated. This is what she had to say about her experience;

“As a retired nurse used to conventional treatments I was a bit sceptical about complementary therapies. However I gave acupuncture a go along with physio, it was like the icing on the cakeā€¦. AMAZING. It helped with pain and relaxation.” 


Keen to know more?

The answer to our most frequently asked questions can be found here. If you can’t find the answer to your question, please feel free to get in touch.


How do I book an appointment for acupuncture?

At The Physios, acupuncture will always be used in conjunction with hands-on treatments and/or exercise based rehabilitation. We don’t offer appointments for acupuncture as a stand alone treatment so you will need to book an initial consultation with one of our physiotherapists first. Tell you physiotherapist that you are interested in receiving acupuncture as part of your treatment and they will discuss this further with you at the time.

To book an initial consultation, click the button below, or call us on 0114 2678181.

View more articles from Sarah Brownhill


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