After spending many years successfully treating patients with severe pain, and also witnessing a rise in the number of referred patients, the Chronic Pain Relief Programme was established by Aine Delaney SRN.
The 2 month programme is suitable for anyone who is suffering from Chronic Pain including those living with: diabetes, arthritis, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel, and back pain.In many cases, patients have come to the clinic as a last resort after being to numerous traditional pain consultants.
We have seen good results providing patients relief through the programme which consists of acupuncture, laser therapy, herbal medicine and nutrition & lifestyle consultations.
What is Chronic Pain?
Chronic pain is defined as pain that persists for more than three months and is often accompanied by other symptoms such as fatigue, sleep disturbances, and mood changes. It can be caused by a variety of factors, including injury, disease, or inflammation. Traditional treatments for chronic pain include medication, physical therapy, and surgery, but these treatments can often have difficult side effects and may not be effective for all.
What does the Programme involve?
The Programme is tailored to individuals based on their first consultation, and is delivered by therapists who are highly trained and experienced in the area of pain relief. Practitioners will take a patient’s medical history, calculate their pain score, and identify triggers including internal and external factors such as time of day, type of pain, diet, environmental and lifestyle factors.
The customised program lasts approximately 2 months and may include multiple therapies such as Low Level Laser Therapy, Electroacupuncture, Balance Acupuncture, Turbo Acupuncture, Japanese Scalp Acupuncture, herbal medicine, nutritional and lifestyle advice.
How can Acupuncture help with Chronic Pain?
Acupuncture has been scientifically proven to be very effective to relieve most types of pain and is now used in hospitals and specialised pain clinics in Europe, the USA, and Australia.
In Chinese acupuncture terms, pain is the result of lack of blood flow. Acupuncture is used to induce an electrical response, promoting blood and oxygen flow to the tissue of the painful area, often producing fairly immediate pain relief and so the body can heal itself. Acupuncture also affects the pain signals going to the brain and down-regulates the pain response.
Pain can be felt through the wrist pulse, and the areas of pain can be detected throughout the body by a practitioner. Pinpointing where pain is located using the pulse validates the person’s pain experience as often he/she has had X-rays and MRIs which have not shown any pathology that would explain these pain levels. People who are suffering feel a sense of relief to be believed, as they may even doubt themselves.
For chronic pain sufferers, Balance Acupuncture is often used, whereby needles are placed on other points of the body to influence the painful area, rather than directly at the pain location. The clinic also uses electro-acupuncture, where electrodes are attached to the needles and stimulated with a mild current to promote blood flow.
Recent studies have proved that acupuncture can be a very effective treatment for chronic pain. In one study, patients with chronic lower back pain who received acupuncture treatment reported significantly less pain and improved function compared to those who received conventional treatments. Another study found that acupuncture was more effective than medication in reducing the severity of migraines.One of the benefits of acupuncture is that it is generally safe and has few side effects and can be used safely alongside pain medication.
How can Low Level Laser Therapy help with Chronic Pain?
Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) is a non-invasive treatment that uses low-intensity lasers to stimulate cellular activity in the body and cellular ATP production. It works by increasing blood flow to the affected area, reducing inflammation, and promoting tissue repair. It also stimulates the release of endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers, providing pain relief without the use of medication.
Over 4,000 studies demonstrate the positive effects of laser therapy, and it’s earned approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat a range of conditions.
How can other therapies in the Programme help with Chronic Pain?
The traditional art of cupping is used to relieve muscle pain and spasm, chronic back pain, shoulder, hip pain, and fibromyalgia.Cupping increases blood flow to the muscles and relieves tension in taut muscles which produces a feeling of relaxation and ease of pain.
In many cases, reducing shock and traumatic memories associated with an injury or accident (like a car accident or bad fall) will help reduce pain by modulating the body’s stress response associated with the traumatic event as the body holds the cellular memory which can then trigger inflammation. Energy medicine healing is very helpful to bring down the stress associated with the event, thus allowing the body to naturally unwind itself as it goes from sympathetic (otherwise known as the fight or flight response) to the parasympathetic or relaxation response.
For painful inflammatory conditions such as arthritis, migraine, fibromyalgia, and muscular pain, science now recognises the importance of a healthy gut and microbiome. The Clinic’s nutritionists conduct a thorough consultation and prescribe an individual nutritional regime to reduce inflammation and correct gut dysbiosis and can reduce C-Reactive Protein (CRP), a measure of inflammation in the blood.
Is the Program safe, and can I start whilst undergoing other medical treatments?
Yes. Our practitioners will ensure they have a full medical history to highlight any risk factors. Acupuncture is generally considered a safe and low intervention treatment that can be used with many co-existing medical conditions.
Acupuncture has been shown to be a very effective complementary medicine and often improves patients’ response to standard medical treatment.
Our therapists can liaise with other health care providers and doctors if requested.
What happens on the first consultation?
Our practitioners will ensure they understand your pain symptoms and medical history before treatment. We will seek to understand the severity range of your pain which follows the traditional classification found in the NRS and FLACC pain scale of mild (1–3), moderate (4–6), and severe pain (7–10).
Information that is helpful to your practitioner includes:
- How long you have had your pain
- Where you feel the pain
- Whether your pain is in one spot or spread out
- How the pain feels and how severe it is
- Whether pain is constant or comes and goes
- What activities make pain worse or improve it
- How your pain limits what you can do
- How often the pain occurs and how long it lasts
- Anything that triggers the pain
Our practitioners will also seek to understand what your pain feels like. Having some records of your pain to track your triggers as well as symptoms over time is beneficial. Some words that can help you describe the way your pain feels include: aching, cramping, Fearful , Gnawing, Heavy, Hot or burning, Sharp, Shooting, Sickening, Splitting, Stabbing, Punishing or cruel, Tender, Throbbing, Tiring or exhausting
For more information on our Chronic Pain Relief Program, contact us at the Crane Clinic, or request an initial consultation to discuss.