Western medical acupuncture is a therapeutic technique involving the insertion of fine needles into different musculoskeletal areas of the body. Read on to find out when we use medical acupuncture and how it works.
What is Medical Acupuncture?
Medical acupuncture is a technique that involves inserting thin, sterile needles into a tight band of a muscle or muscle knot. Muscle knots are areas of muscle that are painful and tight, often causing pain, discomfort and limited mobility. Medical acupuncture works by releasing and relaxing these muscle knots, reducing pain, improving muscle function and providing relief.
Why Do We Use Medical Acupuncture?
Medical acupuncture is principally used by conventional healthcare practitioners such as Osteopaths, physiotherapists, nurses and Chiropractors. Medical acupuncture is commonly used for pain relief, most frequently through the relaxation of myofascial trigger points, these are areas of tight or knotted muscles.
At Body Beliefs, we offer medical acupuncture in conjunction with osteopathy as a part of our comprehensive approach to pain relief and musculoskeletal (muscle, joint and nerve) health.
How Does Medical Acupuncture Work?
Medical acupuncture works by stimulating and relaxing myofascial trigger points. Myofascial trigger points are described as tender nodules within a tight band of muscle which is painful when moving or when being touched.
Medical acupuncture is used to cause a precise and specific reaction in the targeted muscle helping to calm the nervous system, relax the muscle and improve blood circulation. This helps to reduce the symptoms of pain and increase the range of movement.
Medical Acupuncture Safety
When it’s carried out by a qualified practitioner, acupuncture is generally very safe. Rarely, some people experience mild, short-term side effects such as:
- Soreness at the site of needling
- Fatigue
- Increase in symptoms
- Bruising
- Haematoma
Is Medical Acupuncture Painful?
Acupuncture can be uncomfortable on occasion when working on painful or tender areas. However, your osteopath will work with you to determine your pain tolerance. If the pain is too much, we will adjust as necessary.
You can rest assured that you’re in safe hands because, at Body Beliefs, our goal is to “exceed expectations” and this is reflected in the hundreds of positive 5-star reviews from our happy patients across Google Reviews.
