Back Pain

Richard receives referrals from ‘The Pain Clinic‘ at Southmead Hospital – A nationally recognised centre of excellence for pain management.

Acupuncture – shown to be twice as effective as drugs or western treatments for back pain, both in the spine and the lower regions of the back.

Sometimes pain can be caused by sudden injury or accident but chronic pain can be due to a longstanding problem.

If you’d like to talk to Richard about how acupuncture might help you personally, click here for contact and location information.

What will the Acupuncture treatment be like?

For back and lumbar pain, the acupuncture points used are usually on the part of the back affected; additional points on the legs are likely.

The needles are incredibly fine and most people are not put off – in fact they are usually pleasantly surprised by how they enjoy the treatment.

The sensation of ‘needling’ is like pulling a hair out of your arm. Try it!

How many Acupuncture treatments will I need ?

For acute back pain results can be very rapid – sometimes immediate.

The number of acupuncture treatments required will depend on how long someone has had the symptoms, the intensity of the symptoms, how much the back can be rested and the patient’s overall vitality.

The treatment will usually start off on a weekly basis but as the improvement will generally come faster with treatment more often than that, this is a matter of choice. Some people choose a couple of treatments in the 1st week.

For chronic back problems NICE guidelines recommend 12 treatments over a 10 week period.

How Does acupuncture treat back pain?

The western view of how acupuncture helps back pain is that it makes chemical changes in the body described below and also causes muscles that may have gone into spasm to release.

Acupuncture provokes the body into increasing levels of adenosine in the body. Adenosine is a naturally occurring hormone which works as an anti-inflammatory agent. It also provokes the production of endorphin a naturally occurring opiate in the body which reduces pain (endorphin is famous for getting athletes past the pain barrier).

Acupuncture also lowers cortisol (a stress hormone) which makes us feel tense. Thereby contributing to the reduction of tension in the back.

Why else to choose Acupuncture? :

• Very Low risk: Acupuncture is very safe when performed by a trained professional.
• Naturally calming: Many people feel deeply relaxed during or after treatment (often falling asleep during treatment).
• Drug-free: It helps the body heal without medication or potentially worrying side effects.
• Minimal discomfort: Needles are hair-thin and usually painless.
  
• Mild effects only: Rare side effects include slight redness or brief bruising