Electro Acupuncture Treatment

Electro Acupuncture at Spine Plus

At Spine Plus we provide specialist medical and electro acupuncture therapy from our team of osteopaths and physiotherapists, focusing on chronic pain and myofascial pain syndromes including trigger points. Electro acupuncture (electroacupuncture) combines traditional acupuncture needle placement with the application of a carefully controlled low-level electrical current to enhance the therapeutic effect.

How Electro Acupuncture Works

By passing a low-level electrical current through the target muscle tissue to the point where there is a low-level pulsation of that muscle, electroacupuncture can stimulate and “reset” the neurological pathways (called “efferent inhibition”). This process can be particularly effective for chronic pain conditions that have not responded fully to manual therapy or standard dry needling alone.

The electrical stimulation:

• Enhances the effect of needle placement on trigger points
• Stimulates endorphin release for natural pain relief
• Helps “reset” overactive pain pathways
• Reduces spontaneous electrical activity in trigger points
• Promotes local blood flow and tissue healing

What to Expect

Sessions including setup typically take 30 minutes and involve acupuncture needles being left in position for around 20 minutes with the electrical current applied. The sensation is a gentle pulsing or tingling feeling, adjusted to your individual comfort level throughout the session.

Electroacupuncture should ideally be performed once or twice a week initially. A typical course takes between 3 and 6 sessions, followed by top-up sessions every one to three months as needed.

Conditions Treated

• Chronic neck and back pain
• Myofascial pain syndrome
• Repetitive strain injuries (RSI)
• Chronic muscle spasm and guarding
• Rehabilitation from orthopaedic surgery
• Trigger point pain with referred symptoms
• Tension headaches
• Sciatica and nerve-related pain
• Hip and gluteal conditions

Contraindications

Electro acupuncture is not suitable for patients with a cardiac pacemaker or poorly controlled epilepsy. Your clinician will take a full medical history before treatment to ensure it is appropriate for you.

Safety

All acupuncture at Spine Plus is delivered by fully qualified osteopaths and physiotherapists with additional postgraduate training in medical acupuncture. Single-use sterile needles are always used. Serious side effects are very rare.