Services
Acupuncture
Acupuncture involves the insertion of fine single use needles into specific points in the body. The Rational for the choice of points comes from a combination of classical meridian and constitutional theory with modern functional anatomy and sports medicine assessment.
Treatments in the classical model need to be individualized. Not just by dysfunctional or injured tissues but also by constitutional imbalance. Correct assessment and treatment of individual constitutional type enhances the repair of injured tissue and facilitates a return to balance in the body’s homeostatic mechanisms.
Traditional Understanding of Acupuncture
Acupuncture has been an integral part of the Chinese Medical Tradition for over 2500 years. The earliest medical text that mention’s its use is the “Huang Di Nei Jing” . The English interpretation, “Inner Classic of the Yellow Emperor” written in the Han Dynasty and is still one of the core texts studied to this day .
Chinese Medicine believes that when we experience pain, poor health or mental/emotional imbalance it is due to disharmony amongst the channel networks and the organs of the body.
Special interest is paid to how an individual’s symptoms relate to emotional patterns, diet and to the bodies’ ability to harmonize with the ongoing changes in our environment such as seasonal influences, lunar cycles (especially for women), temperature changes and weather patterns.
Familiar statements such as “it must be about to rain, my joints ache ” or “the children are always wild when it’s windy” or the observation by nurses in emergency wards of increased extreme behaviour around full moons mirror these classical observations and are seen to give a window into the underlying tendencies or imbalances of the individual.
Once free movement and balance is re-established optimal health and vitality returns.
Acupuncture is usually combined with Classical Herbal formulas, lifestyle advice, stretching and/or breathing exercises for internal or chronic conditions. Massage and Chiropractic Manipulation may also be recommended to assist with treatment of injuries or movement restriction.
Sports Acupuncture
Acupuncture is used by the Australian Institute of Sport. Additionally, many professional teams use acupuncture to assist in the management of their athletes. Treatment is aimed at restoring optimal muscle tone and assisting in local circulation to involved structures.
Acupuncture increases circulation through injured tissue and mediates the chemicals that are involved in the inflammatory process, it also has inhibitory effects on the pain mechanisms of the body.
At the local tissue level this is thought to occur via the release of neuropeptides such as substance P and CGRP from primary afferent nerve endings. Research suggests this will increase the rate of healing.
Conditions Acupuncturists treat
Musculoskeletal
Lower back ache, knee pain, bursitis, tendonitis, tennis elbow, frozen shoulder, muscle tension, arthritis, sciatic, joint pain, sporting injuries.
Digestive
Heartburn, diarrhoea, constipation, abdominal bloating or pain, haemorrhoids, ulcers.
Respiratory
Common cold, asthma, sinusitis, bronchitis, chronic cough, low immune system.
Women
Fertility support, Menstrual cramps, irregularity, abnormal bleeding, menopausal symptoms.
Cardiovascular
High or low blood pressure, fluid retention, chest pain poor circulation, muscle cramps, stress, insomnia, withdrawal from medication or drugs, headaches, migraines, facial and inter-costal neuralgia, some paralysis conditions, post stroke recovery, fatigue, chronic pain, post-op recovery.
Chinese Herbal Medicine
At Institute of Sports and Spines, Chinese herbal medicine is also available in conjunction with your Acupuncture treatment.
Chinese herbal medicine is part of an integrated system of primary health care that has developed and matured to become a natural and holistic system used effectively to treat a wide range of chronic and acute health problems.
Chinese herbal medicine is based upon the same diagnostic and theoretical understanding of disease or illness as Acupuncture: that each disease or illness presents with a core set of recognisable signs and symptoms, but the actual presentation of a particular disease or illness will vary from person to person. Therefore, individuals with similar health conditions may be provided with quite different Chinese herbal medicine prescriptions.
The Chinese herbal formulas generally consist of roots, barks, fruit and foods and have been approved by the Australian Therapeutic Goods Association.
About Appointments
Initial Consultations
Your first visit for any new problem will be a comprehensive. During which a diagnostic pattern is determined from both the physician’s observations and the patient’s experience.
Areas of questioning may include:
- appetite
- perspiration
- sensations of heat and cold
- thirst
- urinary and bowel patterns
- energy
- sleep
- specific details pertaining to your individual complaint.
After the Appointment
The Acupuncturists at Institute of Sports and Spines are here to assist in complete recovery. We believe that your care continues after you have left your appointment. You are a valued patient and will continue to be nurtured back to full health. This is why follow up appointments are sometimes recommended – so that the job isn’t left half-done!
As a patient of Institute of Sports and Spines’ Acupuncture Department, you are invited to phone and speak directly with your practitioner. Call us about exacerbations of pain, difficulty with exercises and any other treatment-related questions you may have. If the practitioner is unable to take your call, all efforts will be made to contact you as soon as possible.
Acupuncture Fees
- Initial Acupuncture Consultation $125
- Extended Acupuncture Consultation $115
- Standard Acupuncture Consultation $85
- Combination Acupuncture and Massage $130
If you are seeing the acupuncturist for a new condition, please inform reception so they can ensure you receive the additional time needed.