Get Relief from Acute or Chronic Pain with acupuncture, electrode therapy, cupping, and light therapy.
Pain is an uncomfortable sensation in the body and is one way that your nervous system lets you know there is an issue that needs attention. Individuals have different levels of pain tolerance, thus the feelings of pain vary from person to person. The pain signal is an indicator to rest and limit use of the affected part of your body to give it a chance to heal.
Acupuncture treatment, often in conjunction with specific herbs and myofascial techniques that have been used for 2000 years, can be very helpful for both acute and chronic pain. Acupuncture accelerates the healing process by promoting blood and qi circulation and calming the nervous system. This helps reduce inflammation and swelling, which provides pain relief.
Acute pain is easier to treat, it can begin suddenly and is usually sharp in nature. It may be mild and last a short period of time or be severe and last for weeks or months. Acute pain does not last longer than six months, and it usually disappears when the underlying cause of pain has healed. Acute pain is what results when you sprain or strain a part of your body such as your neck, shoulder, elbow, knee or ankle. Untreated acute pain may lead to chronic pain.
The treatment goals vary according to which type of pain it is. For acute pain you will achieve the best results if you start treatment soon after the injury or occurrence. Sometimes the results can be quite astounding where only one to two treatments are needed. Other times, you would continue the treatment two to three times a week, until the desired results are achieved.
Chronic pain occurs despite the fact that the injury has healed. Pain signals in the sympathetic nervous system remain active for weeks, months, or even years. The physical effects may include limited mobility, a lack of energy, tense muscles, and low appetite. Emotional effects may include anxiety, depression, and anger. Common chronic pain symptoms are:
• Arthritis pain – rheumatoid or osteoarthritis
• Lower back pain
• Joint Pain
• Headache/Migraines
• Neck Pain
Chronic pain is much more complicated. Some patient’s suffer chronic pain in the absence of any past trauma or injury. Your sympathetic nervous system is permanently stuck in the “on“ position. If the chronic pain is severe, there is rarely a single solution.
Acupuncture and herbs can be a main part of the pain management process to help improve the patient’s quality of life. Acupuncture in conjunction with exercise, diet, physical therapy, massage, meditation, yoga, counseling, and herbs can all be helpful to reduce pain. Every patient is unique, however a successful pain management program is possible to obtain.
Some of the advantages of acupuncture for pain are promoting local blood circulation, reduced stress, enhances sleep, encourages the parasympathetic nervous system therefore relaxing the body, and improves overall energy. All of these effects are helpful in managing chronic pain.
Normally we recommend a series of 12 treatments, one to two times a week. If the treatments are helpful then we recommend another series of 12 visits. Once the desired results have been attained then we suggest a bi-monthly then monthly maintenance/wellness program at our clinic to help keep the body in balance and out of pain.