Can Acupuncture help De Quervain's tenosynovitis

 De Quervain's tenosynovitis is a painful condition affecting the tendons on the thumb side of your wrist. If you have de Quervain's tenosynovitis, it will probably hurt every time you turn your wrist, grasp anything or make a fist.

Although the exact cause of de Quervain's tenosynovitis isn't known, any activity that relies on repetitive hand or wrist movement can make it worse. Its usually worse in females and quite often I see females who have just had a baby. Maybe its the repitive action of holding the baby combined with some ligament laxity that creates instability within the tendons. Other susceptible groups are musicians, assembly workers, golfers, machinists and more recently, video game players and people who overuse smartphones.

The test to help you decide if you quervains is the catchy name of the Finkelstein test. In a Finkelstein test, you bend your thumb across the palm of your hand and bend your fingers down over your thumb. Then you bend your wrist toward your little finger. If this causes pain on the thumb side of your wrist, you likely have de Quervain's tenosynovitis.

• Immobilizing your thumb and wrist, keeping them straight with a splint or brace to help rest your tendons
• Avoiding repetitive thumb movements whenever possible
• Avoiding pinching with your thumb when moving your wrist from side to side
• Applying ice to the affected area

In addition to the above acupuncture works as a useful adjunct.

Acupuncture may reduce muscle shortening which is causing tension in the tendons and their terminal insertions. Acupuncture may facilitate blood flow to the tendon locally and at a distance, through the release of several neuropeptides. My own experience is that by using acupuncture along with the advice above that the condition improves with a reduction in pain. Thus is of course only my experience and needs to subjected to a large clinical trail to confirm my experience.

Dr Stuart McGill reveals all about low back pain

What is the right way to strengthen your core?
Who gets low back pain ?
Whats the correct way to do pilates?

Dr Stuart McGill tells it how it is

Dr Mike Evans explaining low back pain - could acupuncture help ?

Here is another great video from Dr Mike Evans on the diagnosis and cause of low back pain. Currently, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommends acupuncture as a treatment option for lower back pain. NICE makes this recommendation on the basis of scientific evidence.

Acupuncture for back and pelvic pain during pregnancy

A Cochrane Database systematic review has concluded that current evidence supports acupuncture as a treatment for pelvic and back pain in pregnancy. The authors included 26 randomised trials examining 4093 pregnant women in their review. Moderate-quality evidence suggested that both acupuncture and exercise tailored to the stage of pregnancy can significantly reduce evening pelvic pain and lumbo-pelvic pain compared to usual care alone. In addition acupuncture was found to be significantly more effective than exercise for reducing evening pelvic pain, and was also more effective than physiotherapy at relieving evening lumbo-pelvic pain and disability and improving pain and function, although the effects were small. (Interventions for preventing and treating pelvic and back pain in pregnancy. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2013 Aug 1;8:CD001139).

Muscle energy techniques for Whiplash, neck pain and forward head posture

Neck pain is a common problem within our society. Upper trapezius and the levator scapulae are the most common postural muscles that tend to shorten leading to restricted neck mobility. Muscle energy techniques are believed to be particularly helpful in lengthening postural muscles, which are prone to shortening. Muscle energy techniques aim to

• To strengthen muscles
• To relax muscles, especially useful for treating cramping muscles
• To help regain correct muscle function
• To reduce localized oedema

Below is a video of John Gibbons treating a short neck muscle (the sternocleidomastoid) whom I have trained with and learnt this technique. Muscle energy techniques are a safe, effective and gentle way of reducing pain and restoring mobility to anyone suffering from neck pain.

Acupuncture for hot flushes/flashes

Have you ever thought about acupuncture for hot flushes/flashes. Acupuncture may help with the intensity and frequency of such events. Watch the video for a brief insight into how acupuncture might help you

Grade 2 calf strain

This time of year I often see many runner coming into clinic complaining of calf strains. With many people running on the downs failure to warm up or stretch after running often leads to overloading of the calf muscles leading to tearing of the muscle. A Calf muscle injury is common in sports. Calf injuries are sometimes known as a ‘pulled Calf'. The term 'pulled muscle' comes from the description of how the injury takes place. Usually the Calf muscle is forcibly stretched beyond its limits and the muscle tissue becomes torn. A tear in the Calf muscle is referred to as a Calf strain and depending on its severity it is classified as a first, second or third degree strain: A first degree strain is damage to a few muscle fibres. A second degree strain is damage to a more extensive number of muscle fibres. A third degree strain is a complete rupture of the muscle itself.

 Calf Muscle Strain Signs & Symptoms

With a grade one Calf strain the signs may not be present until after the activity is over. There may be a sensation of cramp or tightness and a slight feeling of pain when the muscles are stretched or contracted. With a grade two Calf strain there is immediate pain which is more severe than the pain of a grade one injury. It is confirmed by pain on stretch and contraction of the muscle. A grade two Calf strain is usually sore to touch. A grade three Calf strain is a very serious injury. There is an immediate burning or stabbing pain and the athlete is unable to walk without pain. The muscle is completely torn and there may be a large lump of muscle tissue above a depression where the tear is. After a few days with grade two and three injuries a large bruise will appear below the injury site caused by the bleeding within the tissues.

 Calf Muscle Strain Treatment

Resting may be the common sense approach, but it is one that is often ignored. This is unwise, since it does not take much to turn a grade one Calf muscle strain into a grade two, or a grade two Calf strain into a grade three. As a general rule, grade one Calf strains should be rested from sporting activity for about 3 weeks and grade two injuries for about 4 to 6 weeks. In the case of a complete rupture, the Calf muscle will have to be repaired surgically and the rehabilitation afterwards will take about 3 months. I treat calf strains with a combination of massage, acupuncture, kinseotaping and advice on when to return to running.