TREATMENTS


What is medical acupuncture?

Medical acupuncture is a modern treatment approach founded in concepts of neurology, anatomy and physiology. Similar to traditional Chinese acupuncture, medical acupuncture involves the strategic placement of sterile needles into various locations in the body. The major differences between the two forms of acupuncture is that medical acupuncture often uses a low frequency (2-8Hz) electrical stimulation on the needles, and the selection of acupuncture points is based both on the traditional Chinese approach as well as including points that are anatomically and neurologically connected to your specific source of pain. Medical acupuncture has been shown to have beneficial results by inducing muscle relaxation, modulating pain, altering your neuroendocrine responses and changing you autonomic activity (fight or flight response) resulting in an overall relaxation and a feeling of well-being.
Medical acupuncture is commonly used by medical doctors, chiropractors and physiotherapists in the treatment of chronic pain, or as an adjunct to their regular treatment regime.

what can be treated with medical acupuncture?


Recent research has found acupuncture to have positive results in the treatment of chronic low back pain, knee osteoarthritis, and management of chronic pain conditions. Other musculoskeletal conditions commonly treated with medical acupuncture include tendinosis, rotator cuff injuries, muscle strains, joint sprains, headaches and repetitive strain injuries. As previously mentioned, medical acupuncture helps to restore your bodys natural nerve and muscle tone, increases blood flow and provides pain relief for chronic conditions.
Typically treatments last about 20-30 minutes and the number of needles used in a treatment will vary according to the individual, duration of pain and the condition being treated. An improvement of 15% to 20% in pain sensation is often experienced after the first treatment. In general, further improvement follows within a few days; however, the effects of this technique can be immediate. Repeated treatments are necessary to see full pain relief in most cases.


is the treatment painful?

Everybody has a different and unique response to acupuncture. Typically the treatment is pain-free; however some have a heightened sympathetic response to needles which results in the sensation of lightheadedness, fatigue and often sweating. The application of the needle is similar to the prick of a mosquito bite with further tightness being related to the tightness of the tissue the needle is in. The majority of needles are imperceptible when placed in the body. Furthermore, for a completely successful outcome, the point to be treated has to be the one that reproduces the referred pain, or be a spinal segment point located on the relevant somatic or autonomic segmental levels associated with the painful area. This means that the needle placement will often recreate the pain sensation of the condition. While undesirable, it is necessary to target the source of the pain in order to fully resolve musculoskeletal conditions. However, the end result of pain resolution is always worth the slight discomfort one might experience during the course of treatment.
I also apply LASER acupuncture, a safe alternative to needle acupuncture, utilising the same points in a painless manner. LASER therapy is painless, with no burning or heating of tissues involved. It is a very safe technique, quick and very effective. As well as acupuncture, LASER therapy can be applied in other ways to achieve tissue healing - tendon injuries, muscle tears/contusions, joint pains, and musculoskeletal pain relief.
More information on medical acupuncture is available from http://www.amac.org.au


What is prolotherapy?

Prolotherapy is a safe, effective injection treatment which provides increased strength in joints, ligaments and tendons by making new connective tissue. It can eliminate even chronic longstanding back, neck and joint pain. The solution used is usually 20% glucose or less, mixed with a local anaesthetic called lignocaine. It was developed by a USA surgeon, George Hackett in the 1940s and has been refined and researched by many other doctors since then. It is used in several different ways:
ligament strain
Strained ligaments leave muscles and joints weak and unprotected, and cause muscle spasm and instability. Ligaments can also become strained if overstretched constantly, for example, the typist’s upper back.
Strengthening ligaments for low back, neck eg whiplash, sprained ankles, pelvis and many other injuries, has been the mainstay of prolotherapy treatment for decades. Surprisingly mobility has been shown to increase. This is because stiffness is often due to protective muscle spasm, and once the pain from the ligaments is relieved the muscles relax.

Tendinopathy
When tendons are overused they become painful and occasionally fail to heal due to excess VEGF. The swollen or torn tissue can be seen on ultrasound, and with modern techniques, neovessels can be seen around the tendon. They have nerves alongside them which are very painful. The usual treatment for tendinopathy in knees, Achilles tendon and elbows is rest, then very slow increase in exercise. This can take months or years. The glucose in the prolotherapy solution inhibits VEGF and allows the healing to occur much more quickly.

neuropathic pain
Pain can be due to injury to the nerves themselves. If there is restriction of the fibres of a nerve, the nutrients can’t flow down the fibres, so the trunk of the nerve can’t repair itself and becomes painful and tender all along the nerve. Inflammation in the nerve (neurogenic inflammation) causes inflammation in the soft tissues and joints, preventing healing. The glucose allows healing in the nerve itself and the tissues it supplies. This new technique was developed by Dr John Lyftogt in NZ and is called Neural Prolotherapy. It is done with very fine short needles as the nerves are cutaneous nerves, close to the skin.

Osteoarthritis
Ligaments are vital for joint stability. If strained and loose, the joint slips and slides out of the track it was designed to follow, and the cartilage becomes worn causing osteoarthritis. Prolotherapy for worn joints (knees, hips, fingers and shoulders) involves treatment of the ligaments around the joint and usually injection into the joint, as it also stimulates regrowth of cartilage. This has been seen on xray in some knees.
The technique
The solution is injected to where the pain is coming from. Usually many different points are injected. The local anaesthetic relieves pain for a short time. This can be useful diagnostically; especially if there has been some doubt where the pain is coming from. Then inflammation begins - and pain may occur and may last about 2 days. Pain relief is used if necessary.
How many treatments?
A series of 6 or 8 injections are usually necessary for low back pain, 4 - 6 for neck problems, 2 - 3 for upper back, elbow or foot, while the knee is variable. The spacing of the treatments varies from weekly to monthly. Two weeks is a good time.
How Effective Is it?
A success rate of about 88 percent is reported for low back pain. Research has shown that this treatment is significantly more effective for low back pain than local anaesthetic or cortisone. An Australian study of very chronic back pain found that 20% became free of pain and over 40% had at least 50% reduction in pain. Many more reports of success have been published for other joints – knees, whiplash neck, fibromyalgia, jaw joint, pubic symphysis, fingers and thumb joints.
What can i do to help?
Avoid aspirin, other anti-inflammatory drugs or liniments. For pain relief use paracetamol, tramadol or codeine.
Exercises may be necessary to re-educate correct muscle patterns. They can begin immediately or when the pain has decreased. They should not be painful. Ask for the correct ones for you or begin walking.
Nutrients are very important to encourage good health and repair of ligaments and discs and bones and should be taken until three months after the end of treatment.
  • Vitamin C 1000 - 2000 mg/day (makes strong connective tissue, helps healing).
  • Manganese (as chelate) 5-10mg/day. (essential for discs, cartilage).
  • Zinc 15-30mg/day (wound healing, important for new protein).

People who eat lots of vegetables, wholemeal bread, nuts and meat, fish, chicken and eggs will do better than those who eat lots of sweet foods and breakfast cereals and white bread and pasta.

What is Cold laser therapy?

Cold Laser Therapy is a colloquial term for photobiomodulation or Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT).
It is a light therapy using lasers or LEDs to improve tissue repair, reduce pain and inflammation wherever the beam is applied. Usually applied by a doctor, therapist or technician, treatments take about 10 minutes and should be applied two or more times a week.
Cold Laser has been used for many years on sports injuries, arthritic joints, neuropathic pain syndromes, back and neck pain. Over 300 randomised clinical trials have been published on Cold Laser, half of which are on pain.
 For more information, click here.

Partners

Get free consultation from our specialist right now

Whichever specific health issue you’re currently facing, we’ll be more than glad to give you a pre-appointment, free consultation on it!
Contact info
Grand Medical Seaford 672-680 Grand Blvd Seaford Meadows. SA 5169 - - or - - PO BOX 782 Mclaren ValeSA 5171
Email: andy@gpsportsdoc.com
Phone numbers
Grand Medical Seaford: 08 8327 3777Fax: 08-8312-6066
Follow Us