Kill the pain with alternative treatments…
/ 04 March 2014 / No CommentsIt is estimated that more than a million people in the UK suffer from some form of back problem every year. In most cases, much of the discomfort centres on the lower part of the back.The figures, according to the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), suggest that back pain is one of the main reasons for sickness absence and costs the NHS more than a billion pounds per year.
This is where complementary treatments come in “Drug therapy isn’t always the answer to back pain,” says Andrew Roscoe of Thame Therapy Clinic.
“In 2009, the National Institute of Clinical Excellence recommended acupuncture, manual therapies and exercise therapy as valid treatments for chronic lower back pain.”
Many patients visit Thame Therapy Clinic because the painkillers prescribed by their GPs are simply a short-term palliative. They look at treating back pains with a combination of osteopathy, physiotherapy, sports massage and acupuncture. These therapies not only complement conventional medicines but are also a long term solution to back problems.
An insight into Acupuncture.
Acupuncture Awareness Week (supported by the British Acupuncture Council) takes place this week between 3rd – 10th March 2014, and aims to help better inform people about the ancient practice of traditional acupuncture. With 2.3 million acupuncture treatments carried out each year, it is one of the most popular complementary therapies practised in the UK today. Yet many people only discover acupuncture as a last resort despite its widely recognised health benefits.
Originating from China, Acupuncture involves the insertion of very thin needles through the patient’s skin at specific points on the body – the needles are inserted to various depths. When linking it to back pain, it works because it encourages the circulation of blood around traumatised areas and disperses swelling and bruising, which are the first steps to getting better.
As well as back pain, acupuncture can also help with conditions such as nausea, vomiting, dental pain and short-team relief of tension headaches and migraine-type headaches.
For more information about the Awareness Week visit; www.introducingacupuncture.co.uk
Click here for more information about acupuncture or to book a treatment with one of our therapists, call 01844 215555.
