WESTERN ACUPUNCTURE

WESTERN ACUPUNCTURE

Western Acupuncture, or Dry Needling, is evidence and researched based acupuncture that focuses on muscle tension release, helping to reduce pain.

The needles are completely painless and are placed into the damaged or symptomatic tissues. This causes an inflammatory response in the body which results in the area being flooded with blood. The fresh blood brings with it oxygen and water and this in turn hydrates the muscle fibres and the muscle begin to relax. The more hydrated a muscle is – the more relaxed it becomes.

Knots themselves are formed by a lack of water due to a lack of blood flow. Blood flow reduction is usually caused by reduced movement as a result of poor posture or injury. Dehydrated muscle fibres become sticky and form these knots, therefore by increasing the blood flow through the inflammatory response to the needles, we reverse this process and the knots are able to dissipate.

As a result Western Acupuncture is great for relieving peripheral joint pain such as shoulder pain and hip pain, as well as helping to reduce tension in specific tissues such as a tight ITB or aiding in the recovery of damaged muscles such as a torn hamstring.

Most of our Osteopaths are trained in Western Acupuncture and are highly skilled at administering the needles, with extensive knowledge of the anatomy, physiology and pathophysiology required to treat safely. Western Acupuncture is used in conjunction as part of a wider Osteopathic treatment. At Wandsworth Town Osteopathy we do not use needles that exceed 25mm in length when administering acupuncture in the spinal area. We do not perform any type of facial needling. 

Please note we are regulated by the General Osteopathic Council and not the British Acupuncture Association. This may affect your claim if paying via insurance. Please check your policy before booking.

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