Over the years the scientific understanding of "unexplained" chronic pain has increased. Some examples of "unexplained" chronic pain include conditions such as chronic low back pain or chronic whiplash or fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome.

The research now shows that a concept of central sensitization is the underlying cause of this "unexplained" phenomena. Central sensitization is a process where the brain is receiving too many messages from the nerves to inform the brain that there is a problem with the body, which causes an over-sensitization of the problem.The brain is being over-bombarded with alarm bells that there is something wrong with the body.

By being educated on this concept and how central sensitization works can help to improve understanding of pain and how pain works.

A review on chronic unexplained pain discusses practice guidelines for explaining "unexplained" pain. This educational process involves two sessions lasting 30 minutes each approximately.

The first step in this process is to meet face-to face with a therapist in order to improve your knowledge on pain inlcuding:

In the clinic we find medical acupuncture, when given at the correct dose, to be very effective in helping certain Fibromyalgia patients manage their pain better as well as help them move and exercise more comfortably. Unfortunately, treating Fibromyalgia is not a quick fix and requires a course of treatment of at least 6-8 weekly sessions, possibly followed by maintenance or top up sessions if it has been helpful.

There is no known cure for Fibromyalgia, but it is a condition that can be managed and medical research evidence has shown that medical acupuncture has a role to play (Berman et al, 1999, Martin et al, 2006, Harris, 2005).

Also referred to as dry needling, acupuncture is a technique of inserting very fine, solid, metallic needles into the body through the skin. The needles stimulate the nerves of the skin and muscle and increases the body's release of endorphin and serotonin (natural painkillers) in the pain pathways of the spinal cord and the brain.

Headaches are among the most commonly treated problems in medical practice. 

In this post Paula Morgan reviews - “Myofascial Trigger Points and Their Relationship to Headache Clinical Parameters in Chronic Tension Type Headache”

Here we will explore 

• A few intriguing points from 'The Top Ten Things You Don’t Know About Pain'
• A wonderfully engaging 5 minute video that describes the pain mechanism process in a speeded up, in action, illustration.

Groundbreaking Study Reveals That Acupuncture Is Superior For Chronic Pain

“Acupuncture (needling in the right place) is superior to both sham (so called ‘placebo’ or needling in the wrong way or wrong place) acupuncture and standard care (usual medical care) for the treatment of different types of chronic pain. This suggests that the effects of acupuncture are more than just placebo effect.”

Back Pain - Are You One Of The 33%?

Many of our clients visiting the clinic suffer some form of back pain. Some come to us after trying various treatments from other sources with little relief. In this article I wish to share an insight into the assessment and treatment of a particularly challenging back pain condition.

Do you fit this profile?