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Acupuncture
Anyone else had acupuncture for their sporting injuries?
I went to the physio on Tuesday with a wonky back (technical term) and very painful hip. I've used him before and he's very good, but this visit, for the first time, he suggested some acupuncture for my hip.
I was extremely sceptical but after 3 weeks of pain, my hip is now completely pain free. Coincidence or dose it really work?
Last night - being the slightly perverse person that I am - I even went for a 15 mile run to see if my hip would start hurting again. It didn't, it's fine.
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There's different types, modern and traditional. Some physios who go on courses will be more inclined to use it when other treatments would be as effective, simply because when you learn a new technique it's like a new toy and you want to try it out
Having said that, there are scientific studies showing the effectiveness of acupuncture, and considering it's a therapy that's a bit 'out there' and more quality research is needed etc, it does have a place in terms of treatment.
I know it works on the body's pain-gate mechanism which is fine if it's pain-relief you want - however I'm skeptical in terms of it treating the symptoms rather than the cause (poor mechanics, misalignment etc). That being said I'm due to have some soon so I'll let you know.
The interesting thing about acupuncture (to me) is that it doesn't seem to matter where you put the needles.
In fact, a rather nicely designed study showed that you don't have to put the needles in at all and patients still feel better.
IMHO, it's complete nonsense. But I'm a traditional western medicine doctor so I would say that wouldn't I?
I've read something similar in a sports science journal - they used sham acupuncture and they still got better. No matter if it's the placebo effect, if it reduces patients' pain that's a good thing.
Like how you feel better before going to the docs.
Decide for yourselves:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?db=pubmed&uid=15834340&cmd=showdetailview&indexed=google
It was done just for pain relief, not to fix the actual problem (wonky back).
I don't think it is likely to have been any kind of placebo effect or wishful thinking on my part because I wasn't expecting it to work.
Also the needle went into my hip where the pain was not into my ear or somewhere, which seems slightly more logical to me.
The only thing that occurs to me is that the treatment I was getting for my back at the same time may have suddenly have had a dramatic effect on my hip (e.g. all the cramped muscles may have suddenly relaxed) and it could have been this not the acupuncture that worked.
My husband had acupuncture for a persistent pain problem due to an avascular fracture which wouldn't heal - he'd had three years of pain and a bone graft plus pins and plates and was left in persistent pain. Frankly he was as sceptical as you can get about acupuncture plus *nothing* that had been expected to help........had so far. He'd been down the usual route of plaster of paris....... then a lighter removable plaster....... physio, X-rays/MRI/arthroscopy.....surgery.......more surgery and was at his wits end. 3 years is a long time to keep pinning your hopes on the next thing.............
It worked. It worked quickly as well.
Nice article that, Dr Wonko.
It isn't quite as condemning as it thinks it is, though. The 'Sham' accupuncture is still an active intervention, above and beyond placebo. This leaves open the possibility that the accupuncture and 'sham' both do the same thing, which isn't nothing, but is something. We just don't understand what it is. So someone comes up with metaphysical explanation of Qi, which is unreliable, untestable and has no predictive value. I agree with the authors that the explanation is bobbins - but it doesn't mean that it doesn't work.
I have never had accupuncture personally, but have enough patients who have derived some benefit in some situations (migraine, dysmen, TMJ pain...) to give it a chance. Since almost all the applications which do seem to help are in benign pain related conditions, I have no problem with its use there. It may be 'tooth fairy' science, but at least she's predictable and productive!
Equally important is the larger set of circumstances in which it has been shown not to work - it certainly isn't a coherent and comprehensive scheme of medicine to take into every situation as some of its supporters would suggest. I think it's on a par with other medieval schools of thought - basic, containing some nuggets of truth which could be developed and improved, but liable to be mistaken for something more than it is by the credulous. But still with enough value to merit study and judicious investment. Similar to hypnotherapy for IBS, for instance.
Unlike homeopathy, crystals, etc which are cashpoints in disguise.
so, if it worked why are you sceptical
id be singing its praises form the rooftops
its pretty mainstream in the NHS now actually
It didnt work for m injury, but then my injury wasnt referred back pain as originally thought
Conventional doc here too BTW#
acu is fab for chronic pain
would it be effective for neuropathic pain?
Mr Farnie has Hereditary Sensory Neuropathy for which he has to take huge ammounts of Gabapentin. He would sing from the roof tops if anything even slightly reduced his pain. (and so would I, there is nothing worse than seeing someone in pain)
Well I am much less sceptical than I was before.
I think with things like this it isn't wise to believe in them without question and neither is it wise to just dismiss them out of hand. So after my first experience of acupuncture being such a positive one, I was really playing devil's advocate a bit with the "its complete nonsense" comment to see what other people had to say.
I am still not a 'true believer' but I will be much more open to it in the future.
I never understand why people look down on "placebo" treatments.
If it works (and the placebo effect DOES, otherwise they wouldn't have
to control for it so carefully in experiments) and it's cheap and it has
no nasty side effects . . . . what's not to like?
agree Mike
farnie-yes, it might well help your hubby
(poor bugger-that sounds horrnedous, what he has)
It is widely used by chronic pain clinics
I never understand why people look down on "placebo" treatments.
In some cases it is the justification for the most vile and deceitful quackery
Acupuncture isn't a 'quack' treatment - there are several scientific research papers stating that it does work.
My husband works as a research scientist in the pharmaceutical industry and his field is pain - and he says it is proven that acupuncture isn't just placebo and is particularly effective in patients with chronic pain.
It has been a fantastic help to my Mum who is paralysed from the chest down due to spinal cord injury - it has stopped the jerking and spasms in her legs.
The key is to go to a properly qualified acupuncturist and not someone who has done a short course - Mum's acupuncturist studied for years!
I had acupuncture for my ITBS and it definitely helped to reduce the pain and discomfort. I was told that it would help to relax the band. I can't say for sure if the pain reduction was because of this or if it was just that the needles had an analgesic effect, but whatever, reduce the pain it did. The needles were put into the band itself at both knee and hip level.