Acupuncture
Our podiatrists have completed their Advanced Certificate in Acupuncture for treatment of Podiatric conditions.
What podiatry conditions respond to acupunture?
Acupuncture is effective in a wide range of painful conditions and is commonly used to treat musculoskeletal pain, for example, in the foot and leg. It has been used successfully in the treatment of ‘trapped nerves’, heel pain, plantar fasciitis, chronic muscle strain, peripheral neuropathy, sports injuries, aide healing in ulcers, and various kinds of rheumatic and arthritic pain.
What is acupuncture?
Acupuncture is a treatment that can relieve symptoms of some physical and psychological conditions and may encourage the patient’s body to heal and repair itself. Acupuncture stimulates the nerves in skin, muscle and other tissues, and can produce a variety of effects. We know that it increases the release of the body’s natural painkillers, including endorphin and serotonin, in the pathways of both the spinal cord and the brain.
Acupuncture can do more than simply reduce pain however, it has a beneficial effect on the health of some individuals. Patients often notice an improved sense of wellbeing after treatment. Current research shows that acupuncture can affect most of the body’s systems – the nervous system, muscle tone, hormone production, circulation, and allergic responses, as well as the respiratory, digestive, urinary and reproductive systems.
Each patient’s case is assessed and treatment tailored to them, but a typical treatment involves fine needles being inserted through the skin and left in position briefly, sometimes with manual stimulation. The number of needles varies but may be only two or three.
Traditional ancient Chinese acupuncture uses a complicated system that is not easy for most of us to understand. However, many modern Western practitioners find that acupuncture can be understood in scientific terms, making it easier to use in a Western setting. In many cases the Acupuncturist makes use of “trigger points”. These are areas, usually in muscle, that hurt when pressed and cause pain to radiate to other places that may be some distance away from the trigger point. Needling the trigger point can relieve pain in these distant areas, although we do not know exactly how this happens.
Clinical research demonstrates that in order to be effective, acupuncture treatments should begin with be no more than one week apart, ranging from three to 12 treatment sessions. Time between treatments extends to longer intervals as the condition responds. A typical course of treatment lasts five to eight sessions.
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