Healing Insights

All Physiotherapists working in Private Practice are defined as Autonomous Practitioners and are able to take patients who Self Refer for Assessment.

On your initial consultation you will be assessed in detail in relation to how your physical symptoms are presenting, including patterns of Pain, history of the complaint and any other important factors that will be relevant to you and your condition. This Initial Assessment can take up to one hour.

You will be asked to sign a consent form giving me permission to treat you and all aspects of the acupuncture process will be explained to you.

Your initial direct treatment  will take 15 to 20 minutes although the whole Assessment  will last longer. These are standard guidelines for first intervention. Needles are placed along meridian lines of energy that relate directly to the site of pain and this means that they may well not be directly around the site of pain but along energy lines that extend throughout the body. For example you may be experiencing back pain and I may put needles around your ankles or knees.

Certain acupuncture points on the body are well known for pain inhibition and are not necessarily at the point where you are perceiving the pain.

All needles are single use, sterile needles and come in a range of diameters. For people who are a little anxious, finer needles can be used and are felt less during insertion.

You can discuss any concerns you have with me regarding this on your first consultation.

The amount of needles I use will vary depending on your diagnosis but in most cases it involves using anywhere between 3 and 10 needles.

It is important to remember that the more chronic your pain symptoms are the more sessions you will need. This can be up to 8 sessions for longstanding conditions. For an injury that is acute, you may well only need a couple or 3 sessions. The general rule is that it is best to seek treatment sooner rather than later to prevent an acute injury becoming a chronic one.

I will also discuss with you the relevance of preventing further injuries. In many cases of chronic pain there is a role in re-educating you about posture and looking at certain activities that could well be acting as trigger factors and increasing your pain.

It is advisable for you to be seen every two or three days for an intensive burst of intervention. Long gaps between sessions are not necessarily the most clinically effective way to work

Subsequent treatments will be to assess how your pain is changing and the needles will be left in for up to 30 minutes.

It is advisable to ensure that you have eaten before you come as it is known that acupuncture can influence blood sugars levels. It is also advisable not to be driving for long periods after a treatment as acupuncture releases chemicals that can change your level of alertness and some people can feel a little drowsy after a long session.

For all patients who have Private Healthcare Insurance you are reminded that I require payment for your treatment at the time of Consultation. Insurance Policies vary and many will have conditions of reimbursement. I advise you to contact your Insurance Provider directly for further details.