Acupuncture for Chronic Pain

Acupuncture is well known for its ability to treat pain and research is now available which confirms its effectiveness. In 2018 a large meta-analysis of acupuncture for chronic pain was carried out which received data from a total of 20,837 patients across 39 clinical trials. The review found that acupuncture is superior to the normal treatment of pain which generally includes medication or physiotherapy or exercise and advice. It also found that the effects of acupuncture on chronic pain persist over time. Hence why NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) recommends acupuncture for chronic pain.

This corroborates with what I see in my clinic. I find I get good results with treating lower back pain, sciatica, neck pain and osteoporosis-arthritis in knees, hips and hands (NB this is anecdotal and not based on scientific research).

When you come for treatment for pain you also get all the relaxing, nourishing benefits of acupuncture too. So alongside pain levels improving I might expect you to be sleeping better and feeling brighter in yourself.

In addition to the very fine needles used in acupuncture I may also include massage, electro-acupuncture (where we put a small electrical pulse through the needles - it is an interesting comfortable feeling and has been proven to increase relaxation), Gua sha (the scraping of soft tissue with a massage tool to release blood stagnation in the muscles), cupping (where we create a suction in a glass cup placed on the skin which pulls the soft tissue out - as oppose to a deep-tissue massage which pushes the tissues in), press tacks (needles on stickers which can be left in for 3 days).

Vickers AJ, Vertosick EA, Lewith G, et al. Acupuncture for Chronic Pain: Update of an Individual Patient Data Meta-Analysis. J Pain 2018;19(5):455-74. doi: 10.1016/j.jpain.2017.11.005