Acupuncture for back pain in Berkhamsted and Milton Keynes
Acupuncture for back pain is perhaps one of the conditions for which acupuncture gets the most exposure; this is in part due to the increased attention that acupuncture received after being endorsed by NICE (The National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence) in 2009. At that point, NICE recommended that acupuncture should be considered for the early management of nonspecific lower back pain, and that referring physicians should consider offering patients with low back pain a course of acupuncture comprising up to 10 sessions over a period of up to 12 weeks.
As a result of these guidelines I spent a few years treating patients on the NHS for this problem through the Milton Keynes primary care trust. What was often surprising is what patients expected before they came for treatment. Many patients expected the needles to be thick and long like syringes, when in fact they are often nearly hair thin and only an inch long (of which only a small proportion is actually inserted into the body). Patients also often expected to have hundreds of needles inserted in them, when often the number was only around 10 -12. Almost always, patients found that being treated with acupuncture was significantly easier than they’d expected, but if you don’t know much about acupuncture it’s quite reasonable to have all sorts of ideas about it. The good news is it’s likely much easier than you think!
As a result of the many misconceptions, The British Acupuncture Council are running Acupuncture Awareness Week from February 25th – 3rd March 2013. Acupuncture awareness week attempts to dispel many of the myths of acupuncture and educate the public about one of the world’s oldest medical treatments and how it could help them. The focus this year is acupuncture for insomnia and Toyah Wilcox has offered lots of feedback on her experience of acupuncture and sleep crediting the treatment with ending her 40 years of severe sleeping problems.
However if you’re curious about acupuncture for back pain and you’re wondering what’s involved, perhaps one of the best ways of learning more is to hear from patients who’ve had it. In the video below you can hear the experience of one acupuncture patient and his back pain and all about his experience with a fellow British Acupuncture Council Member. The British Acupuncture Council, of which I am a member, are the main governing body for the practice of Acupuncture in the UK and all members have had an extensive training in Traditional Acupuncture to degree level. If you are thinking about having acupuncture for back pain or any other condition make sure you choose a British Acupuncture Council member so you can be assured of a high level of training and competency.
If you have any questions about acupuncture or would like to discuss what treatment could do for you, please feel free to contact me on 07717 515 013.