Painful Conditions

Pain of any type is the most common reason for people to seek help from their doctor. Painful conditions are usually categorised as being either acute or chronic. Acute conditions are conditions which come on quickly or only last for a short while and are typically such things as injuries and sprains. Chronic conditions are painful conditions which last for a longer time and often come and go. Sometimes they have no obvious cause.

Pain is part of the body’s natural defence system which triggers a reflex reaction to move away from harmful or dangerous systems. It is the body’s way of telling us that something is wrong. Whilst this is undoubtedly useful in some circumstances, chronic lingering pain can be completely debilitating. Pain can prevent people from working and from doing many of the leisure activities they would like to enjoy. The result is a poor quality of life which can often lead to depression.

There are of course many causes of pain, some of the commonest causes are the various types of arthritis (rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, lupus, gout, fibromyalgia,  ankylosing spondylitis, etc). Acupuncture has been shown to be effective in reducing the pain in arthritic conditions and also helpful in increasing the mobility of joints affected by arthritis.

Back pain is the largest single cause of sickness absence in the UK. Lower back pain (sometimes referred to as lumbago) affects 70% of people at some time in their lives. Neck and shoulder pain can be extremely debilitating, anyone who suffers neck pain will be all to aware of how often we turn our necks during simple tasks.  Acupuncture can often bring swift relief to even quite severe back sprain and to painful conditions affecting the shoulder and neck.

With any painful condition, the acupuncturist will want to take a detailed case history prior to treatment. The acupuncturist will ask questions about the exact nature of the pain (is it dull or sharp?), the location (is it fixed in one place? or does it move around?) is it better for warmth or cold?, for moving or for resting?, is it worse at certain times of day ? etc, etc.  They will also ask about your general health and questions about you and your life in general. This is because the acupuncturist will seek to find out if there is some underlying weakness somewhere in your constitution that has allowed the painful condition to develop. The treatment will then be aimed at both the painful condition and any underlying weakness thus, if possible, preventing recurrences of the condition in the future.

If you have any questions about the treatment of painful conditions with acupuncture please do not hesitate to ask. Email us at info@woodlandsacupuncture.co.uk and we will aim to respond within 24 hours. If you live in the Manchester area, you can make an appointment for a free 15 minute chat with the acupuncturist to find out how acupuncture could help you.