Acupuncture 

Although many acupuncture websites and providers will speak about (qi, chi, or meridians) I will abstain from this and speak about this in a more direct scientific updated manner.

 

Acupuncture directly triggers an inflammatory response allowing for a neurohormonal reaction to occur. This means that your inner chemistry and natural pain relievers are triggered, reducing pain or stress. The inflammation is a “good” or “healthy” inflammatory response which helps increase oxygen to the target area as well as neuro-peptides that are present to reduce muscle spasm, fascial tension, or pain.

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Contact our clinic for a tailored plan to wellness! We provide acupuncture and orthopedic pain management. We serve the San Joaquin County and all of Northern California.

 

Direct acupuncture for muscle pain:

This is a more direct approach for muscular, tendon, or ligament based injuries helping to reduce tension by increasing circulation, calming the muscle and brain from the existing injury. Acupuncture needles are strategically placed in or around areas of injury, allowing your muscles to relax while reducing pain as well as increase the speed of healing post surgery. Direct acupuncture is usually combined with either cupping (for a combination of fascia and shallow muscle tension), Gua Sha or Scraping for fascia surface tension or scaring, or Tui Na Active Muscle Relief for fascia, shallow muscle, and deeper muscle pain and tension.

 

Each modality has their benefits and varies from patient-to-patient. There is not a one size fits all method to patient care. Dr. Robert is a highly skilled orthopedic and sports medicine acupuncturist will help explain and determine which combined method would be best for your condition. Our clinic believes in open communication and frequent check-ins, where you and Dr. Robert will discuss the best plan for your care. Our bespoke method of care makes us a cut above the rest. This includes a customized plan, tailored to you and your activities care which will benefit you throughout the day. This includes stretches, ergonomics, and exercises.

 

You may recognize that some of the direct acupuncture points are similar to the location your orthopedic specialist uses for trigger point injections. This guides proof that acupuncture is utilizing the similar location triggered response without medication and less negative side effects.

 

Distal Acupuncture:

Distal acupuncture is used for pain management, PTSD, intestinal problems, sleep disorders, and problems such as migraine headaches, menstrual pain, anxiety, and/or inflammation. There are many areas on the body that are triggered by neurologic pathways which are stronger than others at either correcting or stimulating certain neurological responses. Distal acupuncture has been used in both biomedical and Integrative care since 1960 by Dr. Travell who was JFKs personal physician. This method is also common in other cultures using forms of acupuncture or stimulation for millennia.

 

You may notice that there are more distal points used on the hands, feet, lower legs, or head in regards to distal acupuncture. This is due to stronger neuro-reception being present in these areas. We are not purposely inserting needles into a nerve, we instead are near the target area which will provide less discomfort and a stronger stimulation.

 

Neuropathy:

Neuropathy is a condition in which the nerves are not responding appropriately in legs or arm causing either a hot or cold sensation, numb or severe pain feeling. It is important to realize that this is a chronic condition that was in the making even if you only recently started to feel the symptoms. We treat this condition with either direct, distal, or a combination of the two and with or without electrical stimulation. Not all neuropathy can be reversed and anyone selling that to you is not being honest. Depending on the severity of neuropathy you can improve quickly or it can take weeks to months, even years to recover. This is in combination with physical and dietary lifestyle changes. It is important to want to improve your lifestyle and follow directions given by your provider in response to neuropathy. “Cheating” on your lifestyle habits only hurts you and will be more evident with each evaluation at your appointment.

 

Does Acupuncture hurt?

Everyone is different and each location of the body will respond a little differently. If you are feeling more inflamed one day versus another, or the weather is colder, or even pain levels increased you may be more sensitive on that day. These are definitely days that treatment is best as the trigger from an acupuncture needle is temporary and can reduce your felt pain faster. Some of our migraine patients have stated that their hard to treat migraine headaches have diminished better than they have had with strong medications.

 

How long does the relief last?

This too is determined by the condition of the patient. There is no timeline that is average for each patient. Each patient is an individual and needs to be advised as an individual. For some, the relief is hours to weeks while some get relief temporarily and it builds after each visit increasing over time. In a few exampled incidences we have had patients who would have relief for a few hours and after a few weeks of care (2-3 times a week) their pain was relieved for up to a few months. Using the stretches provided at the time increments provided have shown faster and longer relief times as well as activation exercises if needed.

 

Why are the stretches so critical?

You cannot properly fix something if you continue to break it. Stretching is a way that you retrain your brain to release the problem in the area. The stretches may evolve after each visit and provide longer relief between visits. The goal is to teach you improved posture with your stretches in order to improve your physical lifestyle. The brain recognizes a stretch as something foreign and attempts to tighten muscles between stretches or acupuncture, PT, chiropractic care. When you increase the stretches in a closer formula of time it has been shown to reduce tension as the brain recognizes that the stretch is beneficial versus a new trauma.

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I do Yoga, do I need to stretch so often?

Yoga is a great practice and we advised to continue performing this as long as you find it beneficial for your lifestyle and feeling of wellness. That stated, Yoga is not therapeutic stretches and is not performed at the therapeutic time provided by your provider. The stretches provided may mimic but may also be much different than any handout or yoga move provided. Our clinic will evaluate your position, ergonomics, and determine which stretch makes your muscles feel best targeted.

 

Do you sell packages for Acupuncture?

We do not sell packages for care as it cheapens our procedures in what is available. It is impossible to determine how fast you will recover or if you will be compliant in your home activities post care. Our goal is to have fewer visits with you and faster improvement with compliance to your home care activities that we provide to each patient. We already provide a significantly discounted price for acupuncture from a specialist in Northern California with more modalities that are either discounted or provided free. We do this for overall patient wellness instead of having hidden charges that often occur with packages.