Musculoskeletal
Conditions

Sports Injuries

Acupuncture is extremely effective in treating any type of acute or chronic pain, anywhere in the body using an advanced Acupuncture method.  With this method not only do I reduce your pain, thereby increasing your mobility, the healing of your sports injury is also greatly accelerated.

Many professional sports teams have Acupuncturists on staff to decrease healing times and to resolve chronic sports injuries.

Acupuncture increases the flow of blood to the site of injury and stimulates the release of natural painkillers and several healing factors.  This increased blood flow brings a host of substances that control the damage and repair the injury and removes wastes that cause pain and inflammation.

In short Acupuncture stimulates the body’s natural ability to heal itself.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammation that primarily affects the joints of the body, typically the wrists and hands.  The same joints are typically affected on both sides (for example both wrists) and pain and stiffness are often worse following rest.

This is an autoimmune disorder, when the body’s own immune system attacks the joints.  This results in inflammation and thickening of the joint capsule and affects the underlying bone and cartilage.  Over time it can potentially cause joint destruction and permanent disability.

Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine can help relieve the symptoms and slow the progression of the disease.  It can be an effective alternative treatment to the negative side effects from some prescribed medications for Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) is degeneration of a joint’s cartilage and bone, typically affecting the joints at the end of the fingers, base of the thumb, big toe, neck, lower back, knees and hips.  This “wear and tear” of the joint causes pain and stiffness following exercise and typically to one side of the body (for example the left hip only).

Cartilage covers the ends of each bone, it reduces friction and acts as a cushion between bone ends in a joint.   As cartilage breaks down eventually the underlying bone does too.  The bone often responds by developing “bone spurs” (osteophytes; small outgrowths of bone).

Bits of bone or cartilage may chip off and float around in the joint.  This occurrence can add to your pain and create an inflammatory response further damaging the cartilage and promoting more osteophytes.  In the final stages of OA, the cartilage wears away and bone rubs against bone leading to joint damage and severe pain.

Osteoarthritis affects many of us and can severely affect our quality of life and our ability to do the activities we love doing.

OA commonly results from repetitive movements or injuries to joints (fractures, surgery, ligament tears).  An imbalance or weakness of the muscles supporting a joint can also lead to altered movement of the joint.

Being overweight puts significant additional pressure on weight bearing joints.  Research has shown a link between being overweight and having an increased risk of OA in the hands.  These studies suggest that excess fat tissue produces inflammatory chemicals that can damage joints.

Acupuncture is extremely effective in reducing pain and inflammation.  Acupuncture cannot restore the joint but it can slow the degenerative process whilst causative factors are identified and addressed.

Chinese herbs and diet therapy play a large role in the treatment plan to reduce inflammation that greatly contributes to the degeneration of the joint.  Numerous research supports the treatment of osteoarthritis with Acupuncture.

Muscle Tension

Acupuncture is extremely popular for the treatment of muscle tension because it provides immediate relief, it is relaxing and other medical conditions can be addressed at the same time.

Muscle tension can develop from overuse, poor posture, muscle imbalances and stress.

Muscle tension is mostly caused by the physiological effects of stress.  Most patients do not realize how much stress they are carrying and that it is often the cause of their back or neck pain.  Muscle tension from stress is often found in the neck, shoulders and head and can cause tension type headaches and migraines.

Stress can affect the nervous system by constricting blood vessels and reducing blood flow to the soft tissues, including muscles, tendons and nerves in the back and neck. This process causes a decrease in oxygen and a buildup of biochemical waste products in the muscles, resulting in muscle tension, spasm, and back pain.

Chronic muscle tension can lead to many chronic musculoskeletal conditions.

Acupuncture works wonderfully at releasing muscle tension and pain, increasing circulation and relaxing the mind and body.  Try the relaxing effects of Acupuncture during Acupuncture Happy Hour.

Muscle Imbalances

Movement requires a balance of muscle length and strength between opposing muscles around a joint.  It helps keep the bones centred in the joint during movement.

When muscles are imbalanced, due to tightness and/or weakness, opposing muscles can put undue stress on a joint.

Muscle imbalances can cause musculoskeletal injuries and affect sports performance.  It is often the result of repeated movements in one direction, sustained postures or poor training technique.

Using an advance Acupuncture technique, I can stimulate the nerve that enters the muscle to reduce muscle tension and spasm or to help strengthen muscle weakness.