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Acupuncture/dry needling

acupunctureAcupuncture and dry needling is an invasive physiotherapeutic intervention by inserting fine needles (0.25 mm in diameter) into specific body point to manage pain and restore body function.

Acupuncture was first invented in ancient China, back date to 4000-5000 years ago, which is widely used in east Asia for many centuries and well accepted in Western world.

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, the pain in the body is due to energy blocked in certain point. Acupuncture needles are used to relieve this blockage then the energy can circulate through the body smoothly.

In Western medicine, acupuncture, which renamed as dry needling to differentiate intramuscular/ intravascular needles, can activate quick nerve fibres inside of skeletal muscles, this the reason why needles are mostly placed inside of big muscle, even the pain is inside of tendon, ligaments or joints.

In addition, clinical trails proved that acupuncture/dry needling can activate a special mechanism, called “descending inhibition”, which stimulus brain (mid-brain) to release endorphin to relief the pain.

Acupuncture is recommended by WHO (Who Health Organisation) for various conditions, which include:

  • Knee pain
  • Lower back pain
  • Neck pain
  • Depression
  • Facial pain
  • Headache
  • Hypertension
  • Pain in dentistry (including dental pain and temporomandibular dysfunction)
  • Post operative pain
  • Rheumatoid arthritis
  • Sciatica
  • Sprain
  • Stroke
  • Tennis elbow

Other condition may be beneficial from acupuncture include:

  • Abdominal pain
  • Bell’s palsy
  • Bronchial asthma
  • Cancer pain
  • Diabetes mellitus
  • Facial spasm
  • Gouty arthritis
  • Insomnia
  • Labour pain
  • Meniere disease
  • Obesity
  • Osteoarthritis
  • Pain due to endoscopic examination
  • Radicular and pseudoradicualr pain
  • Spine pain
  • Stiff neck
  • Temporomandibular joint dysfunction
  • Tobacco dependence

In most cases, patients feel a slight sting, like amosquito bite, or “heavy”, “still” “numbness, pins and needles” radiating down to distal part of body, in Traditional Chinese Medicine, it is considered as the energy running through. Some patient feels “toothache” or simply feels nothing at all.
 
In general, acupuncture is very safe, occasionally small tiny bleeding. Infection through acupuncture is very rare. Some other serious complications are hardly happening under treatments with a qualified therapist.  

The pain relief (analgesia) from acupuncture normally lasts from one to four days, so it is recommend having acupuncture twice or three times a week.

Compare with pain reliever (NSAID), acupuncture has no dependency and other side effects from the medication. It is suitable for long time use.

 

 

 

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