Have you had electro-acupuncture applied during a treatment from your acupuncturist?

While it may sound like a Dr Frankenstein moment, electro-acupuncture is a safe and effective addition to your acupuncture treatment to enhance results.

Regular acupuncture needles are used at, or near the site of pain, and they are connected to a specialised piece of equipment which then transfers a very gentle electrical current into the area. It is not dissimilar to using a TENS machine, though the area being treated can be more precise as the point of a needle is much smaller than a TENS pad.

The gentle electrical current works by interrupting pain signals being generated by nerve endings, as well as increasing blood circulation to the area. In a 2016 randomised control trial comparing the treatment of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome with electro-acupuncture and night nocturnal splinting against using splinting only, the electro-acupuncture group had greater improvement in symptoms, function and strength (after 17 weeks).

Electro-acupuncture is commonly used to treat lower back pain. In a randomised control trial by Shankar et al (2011), patients were treated with either electro-acupuncture, or physiotherapy with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication. While both groups had improvements, the electro-acupuncture group had a significantly greater improvement in pain after 10 treatments.

If you would like to see how electro-acupuncture can reduce your pain, get in touch today!