It is incredible that many powerful healing effects can be achieved by simply inserting needles into the skin and muscle, positively influencing most of our bodily systems. Just as amazing is the fact that Acupuncture as a treatment technique was discovered many thousands of years ago and has been practised by the Chinese ever since.

Only much more recently, within the previous 40 years or so, has Acupuncture been introduced into our western society. For many of these years the Acupuncture taught and studied has been based on the traditional Chinese Acupuncture method, understandably. The Chinese Acupuncture system is one based on the energy meridian model, a system not subscribed to by the majority of our scientific community.

The term Medical Acupuncture relates to a more modern interpretation of the needling technique and one researched and explained in more scientific terms. This has caused something of a divide between the two camps of Traditional Chinese and Western Medical Acupuncture practitioners. This is also not much of a surprise and such opposing stances can be seen in many other health related topics. That said, some practitioners are able to rationalise both approaches and use Acupuncture with one foot in both camps so to speak.

Trigger points can be found anywhere throughout the body but often give us most trouble causing neck pain and low back pain, both regions which can be implicated in the development of ‘muscular tension’ headaches.

Trigger points are the tender almost nodular feelings in generally taut bands of muscle. They are very good at creating a sense of vague achy, deep dull or boring pain, even sometimes sharp and ‘nervy’. They also result in stiffening and weakening of muscles such that they cannot do their job in supporting an upright posture for example.

Have a feel of the muscles between the neck and the shoulder, those that may feel tense when sitting all day or stressed. If the muscles feel ropey, stringy or hard with one or two spots that are exquisitely painful to press on, these are likely to be trigger points in your upper trapezius muscle.

The effectiveness of acupuncture as a treatment for Fibromyalgia very much depends on the individual being treated. Factors such as how long the Fibromyalgia has been present, the state and responsiveness of the central nervous system, patient expectation and belief, levels of pain and physical activity, etc, can all have a bearing on how well someone may respond to medical acupuncture treatment.

The key to a successful course of treatment, from my own clinical experience, is getting the ‘dose’ of treatment correct. This usually means having to be careful not to over-stimulate and not cause too much sensation with the acupuncture needles. Given that individuals with Fibromyalgia are usually already very sensitive, much care is needed when needling to ensure that is is done comfortably. Sometimes this requires some trial and error in the first couple of sessions to discover the right dosage for the individual.

One of the most common types of headaches is the cervicogenic headache which is the name given to a headache originating from the neck. When a part of our neck such as the joints, muscles, nerves or ligaments are damaged or put under strain we can experience referred pain to our head area. This is due to the fact that the nerves which supply the neck area also serve the skin surrounding the head, eyes and ears.

Damage or strain to the neck does not necessarily need to be severe in order to cause a referring pain headache. It is quite often the case that such headaches begin after a build up of muscle tightness and imbalance caused by poor posture while sitting at a desk for prolonged periods of time, for example.

Neck pain left untreated will often cause a headache of varying intensity, sometimes made worse by specific movements.

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.

What is peculiar about osteoarthritis, for example of the lumbar spine, is trying to predict who will and won't suffer from pain symptoms. Studies have repeatedly shown that some arthritis sufferers have significant ‘wear and tear’ of the lumbar joints but experience no pain at all - whereas others may have more mild wear and tear changes yet suffer from debilitating pain and dysfunction.

As such there is poor correlation between the extent of the arthritis and the severity of the pain symptoms which may arise. For this reason we also need to be careful to avoid putting all back pain suffered by those in their more senior years as being ‘arthritis’ as this may not be the case.

Indeed arthritis may be the cause, but there are many other reasons someone may be suffering from back pain. At times arthritic changes seen on MRI for example may be a chance finding and not actually the cause of the pain at all. A good clinical assessment is usually able to determine whether the pain is arthritis related.

My client has been doing very well in treatment for a right sided adhesive capsulitis, otherwise known as a ‘frozen shoulder’. Following a successful integrated treatment approach my client has progressed to the third stage of the frozen shoulder continuum where stiffness as opposed to pain is the main problem.

In this article I demonstrate the effectiveness of treating this condition with a combination of medical acupuncture, also known as dry needling, and manual therapy techniques.

How can we propose a definitive treatment or cure for a chronic pain condition, such as Fibromyalgia, when we don’t fully understand what causes it? The answer is we can't be definitive but Physiotherapy can offer effective pain relief. 

With numerous medical drugs available, some of which may be just as likely to harm as they are to help, it’s no wonder sufferers are seeking non drug alternatives such as exercise, acupuncture and gentle forms of manual therapy.

Fibromyalgia sufferers experience widespread pain affecting the muscles and fibrous tissues throughout the body. Symptoms may result in disturbed sleep, general fatigue and sometimes depression. The exact cause is unknown and as yet there is no cure for the condition. We do however have an understanding of how the body’s physiology may change with Fibromyalgia in a manner which results in heightened pain sensitivity.

Sticking a needle into a tender muscle may sound like madness but it often does help! 

A very common condition we treat effectively with dry needling is pain and dysfunction within the muscle and connective tissue often centred around trigger points - a condition referred to as myofacial pain.

In this article I aim to describe why we use dry needling, how it works and the risks involved with some of the adverse reactions we may encounter.

Let’s take the tension headache for example, a common condition. There is some debate as to whether this type of headache is curable, or whether the best we can do is help sufferers manage their symptoms.

From my experience the extent to which a patient can manage stress, lifestyle factors and posture has much to do with how successful we are in in treatment as these are all known to drive tension headaches.

Firstly I want to explain here the three most common types of headaches. The cervicogenic (neck related), migraine and tension type headache.