The Benefits of Acupuncture…

January 5, 2020

Acupuncture treatment stems from an ancient Chinese medicine where fine needles are inserted at certain sites in the body for therapeutic or preventative purposes. Many people have acupuncture to relieve specific aches and pains or for common health problems. Some people choose acupuncture when they feel their bodily functions are out of balance, but they have no specific diagnosis. There are also a lot of people who will go for regular treatment because they find it beneficial and relaxing.
Acupuncture can be used to help with:

• Pain relief
• Reducing muscle spasm
• Reducing joint stiffness
• Increasing muscle length
• Reducing swelling
• Promoting the release of endorphins
• Relaxation

At Physiotherapy Matters our Physiotherapists are skilled and experienced in all aspects of acupuncture and are specialists in the assessment, diagnosis and application of a wide range of acupuncture treatments. If you have any questions, just get in touch!

• Stimulating an inflammatory response

The physiotherapists at Physiotherapy Matters use acupuncture to treat a range of conditions including:

Tension Headaches
Research has shown that acupuncture can be beneficial for stimulating nerves located in muscles and other tissues, which leads to release of endorphins, and changes the processing of pain in the brain and spinal cord (Zhao 2008; Cheng 2009).

Migraines
There is lots of good quality evidence to support the use of acupuncture. Results of large, high-quality studies show that acupuncture is significantly better than no treatment/basic care for managing migraines, and appears to be at least as effective as preventative drug therapy, with few negative side effects (Linde 2009, Wang 2008, Sun 2008, Scott 2008).

Lower Back Pain
Research has shown that acupuncture is significantly better than no treatment and at least as good as (if not better than) standard medical care for back pain (Witt 2006; Haake 2007; Cherkin 2009; Sherman 2009a). The evidence also shows acupuncture to be a useful as an adjunct to conventional care, for patients with more severe symptoms and for those wishing to avoid pain killers (Sherman 2009a, 2009b; Lewis 2010).

Osteoarthritis
Several systematic reviews of acupuncture for osteoarthritis of peripheral joints, including the hip and knee, have concluded that it is statistically superior to sham acupuncture and to normal medical care, and similar in benefit to some other interventions such as exercise (Kwon 2007; White 2007; Manheimer 2007, 2010). The Osteoarthritis Research Society International (Zhang 2008, 2009), recognise that it has clinically relevant benefits and they recommend acupuncture as a treatment option for osteoarthritis.

Mood
Whether it is anxiety, depression or stress, acupuncture can help to reduce the level of severity by acting on areas of the brain known to reduce sensitivity to pain and stress, as well as promoting relaxation and deactivating the ‘analytical’ brain, which is responsible for anxiety and worry (Hui 2010; Hui 2009).