What happens when acute pain begins to linger and then transforms into a chronic condition? What happens when you’ve exhausted all conventional treatment options, you’ve perhaps undergone surgery, you’ve tried other alternative treatments, you’re on pain medication, and you’re STILL in pain? Emotionally, you may begin to feel depressed or frustrated. The pain may prevent you from getting a full night’s sleep, so now you’re sleep-deprived and irritable. Your relationships may suffer. You may not be able to think clearly and you may experience memory loss. Chronic pain is ultimately exhausting and negatively impacts your quality of life. If severe enough, it also can negatively affect your spirit and sense of self worth.

To relieve their pain, many people take over-the-counter medications or prescription medicines – either acetaminophen or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs, including aspirin, naproxen, and ibuprofen). Even if the pain subsides for the moment, the side effects from taking the pain killers on a long-term basis may be result in more problems than the pain medication seems to solve. However, many people still experience pain despite taking such medications. This is why many Canadians seek alternative methods and medicines in an attempt to find an effective way to ease their pain with minimum side effects.

Acupuncture can help with Pain Relief

Acupuncture is a great tool for treating and relieving pain. This is an area I have worked for a number of years as a volunteer concentrating on pain alleviation through acupuncture in a palliative care facility. I have also attended a number of conferences and training courses on this particular aspect of Traditional Chinese Medicine and have received training in the “Balance Method” from Dr. Richard Tan, one of the foremost experts in the field of acupuncture for pain relief and pain management.

Dr. Tan’s contributions to the modern understanding and practice of acupuncture are world-renowned. His simple but effective approach attains clinical results within minutes after treatment for pain has begun.  A unique quality of Dr. Tan`s Balance Method is that needles are placed in what are called balancing channels located primarily in the lower half of the arms and legs, rather than in the area of discomfort or pain. Fewer needles are used and pain is significantly reduced, with pain relief usually experienced from early in the first session. Quite exceptional results can be achieved within two to five treatments.  If you are tired of living with your pain, this is a solution I offer that may well give you the relief you have been looking for.

From a scientific perspective, scientists are starting to identify some of the physiological mechanisms at work. There’s evidence that the insertion of needles into designated acupuncture points speeds the conduction of electromagnetic signals within the body. These signals may increase the flow of endorphins and other pain-relieving chemicals, as well as immune system cells, which aid healing. But for you as a patient seeking pain relief, the “why” and “how” don’t matter as much as the fact that acupuncture for the relief of chronic pain does work amazingly well and may even work better than pain medication, without the side effects.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), acupuncture is explained in terms of bringing the body’s systems into harmony and balance. Specific acupuncture points on the body correspond to energy channels called “meridians.” When a meridian is blocked, the body’s life energy (Qi) backs up in some areas and dries up in other areas, causing an imbalance that prevent the body’s organs from working harmoniously. By inserting the needles into the correct points, blocked meridians are cleared and energy flows correctly again, leading to relief from symptoms caused by the imbalance.

Because acupuncture is meant to resolve the deeper, internal causes of pain, it usually takes several sessions for complete healing. However, I find that my patients are enthusiastic about the pain relief results from their first session. Patients who have struggled to find relief through conventional medical treatments have reported that my acupuncture treatments have helped them overcome various types of chronic pain.

Common pain conditions treated with acupuncture

General Pain Conditions

• Arthritis and joint pain (shoulder, wrist, hand, knee, ankle, foot)
• Bursitis (shoulder, hip, calcaneal)
• Causalgia
• Chronic pain syndrome
• Complex regional pain syndrome
• Fibromyalgia
• Menstrual pain
• Muscle tension (shoulder, arm,neck, back, thigh, calf)
• Muscle spasms (shoulder, arm, neck,back, thigh, calf)
• Myofascial pain syndrome (shoulder, arm, neck, back, thigh, calf)
• Overuse /overtraining injuries (shoulder, arm, neck, back, thigh)
• Pain from cancer
• Post-surgical pain
• Reflex sympathetic dystrophy
• Repetitive strain injuries (shoulder, arm, back, thigh, calf, foot)
• Sports injuries
• Sprains (back, neck, shoulder, wrist, hand, knee, ankle, foot)
• Strains (shoulder, arm, neck, back, thigh, calf)
• Stress-related pain (neck, shoulders, low back, headaches)
• Tendonitis, tendonosus, tendinopathy (shoulder, knee, ankle, foot)

• Cervicalgia
• Cervical disc pain
• Cervical radiculopathy (nerve root injury)
• Neck degenerative disc disease
• Neck degenerative joint disease
• Neck facet joint pain and arthritis
• Neck myofasical pain syndrome
• Neck sprain/strain
• Thoracic degenerative disc disease
• Thoracic degenerative joint disease
• Thoracic disc pain
• Thoracic facet joint pain and arthritis
• Thoracic outlet syndrome
• Upper back muscle strain
• Whiplash syndrome

Headaches & facial pain

• Dental and jaw pain
• Migraines
• Orofacial pain
• Tension headaches
• TMJ syndrome

•  ACL/MCL ligament sprains
• Chondromalacia patella
• Hamstring strains
• Hip/gluteal tendonitis/apophysitis
• Iliotibial band (IT band) pain
• Knee meniscus injuries
• Knee osteoarthritis
• Patellar tendonitis
• Patello-femoral pain
• Post joint-replacement recovery
• Quadriceps tendonitis

Calf pain, ankle pain, and foot pain

• Achilles tendonitis/tendinopathy
• Ankle sprains
• Ankle/foot tendonitis
• Calcaneal bursitis
• Calf strains
• Plantar fasciitis
• Sesamoiditis
• Shin splints
• Turf toe

Don’t see your condition listed? Need more information regarding acupuncture treatment? To discuss whether acupuncture is appropriate for you, I invite you to:

• Contact me by phone on (416) 722-8813. If I don’t answer, leave a message with your name and phone number and I’ll call back as soon as I’m free

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