TREATMENTS
Alongside acupuncture and remedial sports massage, there are a number of other treatment modalities available which can be used to support your treatment. Patients will often have a combination of all the available options, the combination of which are based on their specific needs. Regardless of which treatment options are chosen, the price of the appointment will remain the same at £50.
More information about each treatment below:
- Matsumoto Style Acupuncture
- Electro Acupuncture
- Auricular Acupucture
- Remedial Massage
- Sports Massage
- Deep Tissue Massage
- Neuromuscular Technique
- Therapeutic Massage
- Infra-red Heat Lamp
- Cupping Therapy
- Gua Sha
- Postural Assessment
- Passive Stretching
- Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation
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TCM ACUPUNCTURE
TCM or Traditional Chinese Medicine is based around rich and ancient theories of healthcare. Specific points on the body are chosen depending on your specific issue and general health, and then needled. The principals for choosing which acupuncture points are used are linked to how your internal pathology is functioning, and also how that links to the exterior of the body. According to chinese medicine theory, the exterior of your body is mapped out using meridians or channels that can be manipulated with needles to create changes in the body's function, from pain response to hormone regulation to digestive regulation and more. It's not fully understood how and why acupuncture can create these changes in the body, however there is a wealth of reseach available that explains what we do know. You can find information about the research into specific conditions on the British Acupuncture Council website.
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DRY NEEDLING
Dry needling is the same as acupuncture in the sense that fine needles are inserted into specifics points on the body. However the technique is based around more western idealogy whereby muscular knots and trigger points are targeted and manipulated using the needle. Trigger point theory relates strongly to acupuncture theory and dry needling is a part of of the broader acupuncture framework. It works particularly well in relaxing chronically tight muscles, especially for people suffering with longer term neck pain, lower back pain, tight hips and calf tension.
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MATSUMOTO STYLE ACUPUNCTURE
This is a Japanese style of acupuncture. It matches TCM acupuncture in that fine needles are inserted into the body at specific points, however the choice of these specific points are guided by palpation of the abdomen. This method is particularly useful for condition of 'stuckness', that might be emotional stuckness, anxiety, fibroids, migraine or other painful conditions.
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MASSAGE
Massage is the process of manipulating muscles and connective tissue aid healing and enhance function. Sports Massage is uses deeper techniques that have a stronger and longer-lasting effect on muscles and other soft tissue. Remedial massage uses the same techniques, but can treat a wider range of issues. That said, Remedial Sports Massage doesn't have to be deep or uncomfortable to get results and a more gentle therapeutic approach can be used if preferred.
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Massage is mostly likely to be suggested if you come to me with a musculoskeletal issue. The general aim is to soften and relax the muscles to best prepare them for acupuncture and get the best possible results. Other reasons for including massage are for conditions where muscle tension can either be a result or contributing factor. This might include anxiety, insomnia or headaches.
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NEUROMUSCULAR TECHNIQUE
Neuromuscular technique or NMT, is a hands on technique which can be used as a standalone treatment or as an adjuct to other methods. NMT uses sustained and focussed pressure on areas of tension to encourage the tight tissue to relax. It can be particularly useful for tight 'knots' and trigger points that can otherwise be stubborn in response to other treatment methods. It is most useful for issues such as upper back, neck or shoulder pain, or tension or pain in the hips or legs.
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CUPPING
Cupping therapy often makes it into the headlines as it can be used to leave circular marks on the back, and in the past has attention from the media when olympic swimmers and boxers have been spotted with these marks. Cupping therapy uses a vacuum to create localised pressure in an affected area. Cupping helps to release toxins from a muscle and reestablish a good blood supply to aid nourishment and recovery. Aside from its therapeutic properties, cupping is used to draw out waste products and old blood stuck in tight muscles, and deliver fresh blood and nutrients to the area. The waste products can be the cause of pain in a muscle and allowing a new, fresh blood supply into it a muscle will help nourish and repair it.
Cupping Therapy should not hurt, though you may feel a tightening in the local area as the vacuum is applied. On occasions a circular mark may be left as a result of drawing toxins from the muscle. This is a normal and positive effect of the treatment and tends to resemble a bruise but is rarely sore to touch.
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ELECTRO ACUPUNCTURE
A small electrical current is passed into the acupuncture needle. This creates a larger stimulation of an acupuncture point. It can also be used for muscular conditions in the same way a TENS machine is used to stimulate nerve function. If you want more detailed information on how electro acupuncture works, and it's uses, then you may find this blog post useful:
https://www.benelliot.co.uk/post/electro-acupuncture
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INFRA-RED HEAT LAMP
Heat lamps can be applied while other treatments is ongoing, espeically with acupuncture where the patient is left to rest once the needles are inserted. The lamp is placed at a comfortable distance over an area of the patient's body and heat and infra-red light is ommited from the lamp head. The infra-red is known to accelerate the body's healing process, loosen connective tissue and relax muscle tissue, whereas the heat naturally brings fresh blood to the surface of the body, which contains all the oxygen and nutrients for healthy muscle recovery.
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GUA SHA
Gua Sha is the process of scraping a flat, smooth tool over the skin. This creates compression and movement across the area much like massage, aiding bloodflow and lymph drainage. However using the tool creates other benefits by further aiding the removal of toxin and waste products from muscles and soft tissue. Similarly to cupping, the method can leave bruise like marks on the skin which are not usually painful or sore.
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POSTURAL ASSESSMENT
Postural assessments are a great way to identify any issues with balance or mechanics of a single areas, or the body as a whole. It often provides a guide to other issues that may be contributing to an area of the body. Often issues such as back, pain or neck pack can be related to the hips, or even knee or ankle issues. The assessment is used diagnostically and can include visually observing where certain joints sit in relation to others; palpating areas of the body to determine the extent or location of muscular pain or tension; observing symmetry of different areas fo the body whilst static and when moving. All these things combined create a really thorough picture of how the body is operating and provide extra information to why you have pain or discomfort in particular areas. It's also a great process to periodly check to assess progress in recovery.
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PASSIVE STRETCHING AND PNF
Stretches are usually done at the end of treatment where releasing muscle tension has been the main focus. Other treatment methods work well to reduce muscle tension, lengthen muscle fibre and reset the muscle's memory that has keep it taut for a long period. After this process the muscles are often in a more maluation and latent state, meaning the effects of stretches are more effective and longer lasting. Passive stretches are where the patient stays relaxed and an area of thier body it taken through a range of movement and a stretch created. PNF or Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation, is where the patient resists againsts the movement thus creating a stretch. This can be a powerful was to reduce tension in chronically tense muscles in some circumstances.
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