Medical Acupuncture & Acupressure
Medical Acupuncture & Acupressure
When most people think of acupuncture they think of Traditional Chinese Acupuncture (TCA) as practised by Chinese acupuncturists and some physiotherapists. However Medical Acupuncture (MA) is different to TCA in several ways. MA is practised by medical doctors and allied health professionals who have taken the relevant extra training.
MA fits into a western medical framework of diagnosis based on a modern understanding of human anatomy and physiology rather than the eastern based philosophy of TCA. With MA fewer needles tend to be used and the main targets are “trigger points” within tight muscles that cause localised and/or “referred” pain. Therefore needle penetration tends to be deeper with MA, the needles penetrate directly into the muscles rather than going just under the skin as is most often the case with TCA. This is usually not as painful as one might think since the needles used tend to be very thin, although a distinct and characteristic twitch is usually felt within the muscle which signifies the practitioner has hit the exact spot causing the problem. Due to this exact and direct approach MA usually provides significant relief in symptoms even after the first treatment.
One of the ways in which MA is thought to work is by stimulating blood flow to areas within the muscles which have become starved of blood due being extremely knotted or tight, these are the “trigger points”. Stimulating blood flow to these trigger points brings with it oxygen and other nutrients which help the trigger point relax and recover, thus reducing pain.
At Bow Osteopathy medical acupuncture is performed by our osteopaths, all of whom have undertaken the relevant postgraduate training with the British Medical Acupuncture Society (BMAS). Medical acupuncture is available in conjunction with osteopathic treatment (at no extra cost) or as a standalone treatment.
