For the last few decades acupuncture is gaining people’s trust as a means of helping them deal with pain and dysfunction. In our practice many patients find relief from pain issues when we use acupuncture as an adjunct to our physiotherapeutic treatment plan or as a stand-alone therapy.
A very common question many people have when asking about acupuncture is if it is painful when the needles are inserted into their body and if there are any side effects from its application. When the therapist is a certified acupuncturist the application of acupuncture is absolutely safe and it does not cause pain. The patient may feel a thermal sensation running through the line where the needles are inserted, like a flow of energy. This is what in traditional Chinese medicine is called the “De Chi” sensation and it is assumed to play an important role in the energy flow regulation of the body part that is being acupunctured. From a western medical perspective, we value this sensation as a normal local response of the body to the insertion of needles that has an immediate desensitizing effect on the central nervous system.
In our Centre acupuncture is performed only by physiotherapists certified in the practice of acupuncture, after a very thorough physical examination and history assessment of the patient. In most cases we see immediate positive effects on pain reduction after a few acupuncture sessions.
It is a very useful tool when we need to desensitize the affected area and subsequently use movement and exercise for therapy in our wider treatment plan. Acupuncture is a safe and easy method for the patient to recover especially from pain disorders such as headaches, low back pain and cervical syndrome.
