Electroacupuncture Therapy For Chronic Pain
Find out how our electroacupuncture treatment can help reduce your pain.
What is Electroacupuncture?
Electroacupuncture treatment involves fine needles being inserted at certain sites in the body and connected to a device for electrical stimulation. The number of needles inserted varies and the therapy might require once a week treatment session to begin with, then at longer intervals as the condition responds. A typical course of treatment requires five to eight sessions. Each patient’s case requires an individual assessment and treatment tailored to the individual.
Electroacupuncture works by stimulating the nerves in your skin, muscle and other tissues, producing a variety of effects. It releases the body’s natural painkillers such as endorphins and serotonin. It is likely that these substances are responsible for the beneficial effects experienced with acupuncture.
Electroacupuncture often helps with more than just reducing your pain. Patients often notice an improved sense of wellbeing after their treatment. Current research shows that acupuncture can have an effect on many of the body’s systems – the nervous system, muscle tone, sleep, hormone production, circulation and allergic responses, as well as the respiratory, digestive, urinary and reproductive systems.
Important information
If you have a bleeding disorder, such as haemophilia, or are taking anticoagulants, please let me know before you have acupuncture.
Acupuncture is also not advisable if you have a metal allergy or an infection in the area where needles may be inserted. Electroacupuncture may not be safe if you suffer from epilepsy or, have an implanted pacemaker device.
Are there any side effects?
– pain at needle insertion site, in about 1% of treatments
– bleeding or bruising at 3% of needle insertion sites
– drowsiness after treatment. If affected, you are advised not to drive immediately afterwards
– feeling sick, dizzy or faint
– worsening of pre-existing symptoms can happen in fewer than 3% of patients
What to expect during a treatment session?
You can relax during the treatment and listen to some background soothing music. You can also bring along your own music to listen to during the treatment, or ask for a specific playlist. It is not unusual for patients to feel drowsy during treatment.
Is there scientific evidence for electroacupuncture?
A considerable amount of scientific research has been carried out over the last few years. We now know much more about how acupuncture works and some of the myths about it can be laid to rest. Modern imaging techniques have demonstrated changes in brain activity – particularly those areas responsible for the processing of pain and suffering. As we learn more about it, the possibilities of using electroacupuncture alongside orthodox medicine get bigger.
There is experimental evidence to demonstrate endogenous opioid release by electroacupuncture stimulation. This release takes place in the muscle tissue being stimulated, in the spinal cord at the nerve root level and centrally, in the brain. Several channels involved in the pain pathway also get activated by these opioids, thereby modifying the perception of pain.
What sort of conditions responds to electroacupuncture?
Electroacupuncture is proven to be an effective way to manage a wide range of painful conditions. It is commonly used to break the pain cycle of musculoskeletal pain, such as chronic low back and neck pain, knee osteoarthritis, migraine and tension–type, headache, temporomandibular (jaw joint) disorders and pelvic pain. Other situations where acupuncture has been found to be beneficial are: improvement in the symptoms of overactive bladder syndrome and vulvodynia.
The list of conditions that can benefit from electroacupuncture is exhaustive and continues to get bigger as more acupuncture specialists adopt this treatment over traditional acupuncture.
How does electroacupuncture work?
Electroacupuncture works on three fronts: