Pain Management | ben&biao

Frozen Shoulder (aka Adhesive Capsulitis)

ben&biao — Fri, 29 Jan 2021 12:12:43 +0000

Frozen Shoulder (aka Adhesive Capsulitis)

Frozen shoulder, also known as adhesive capsulitis, is a painful condition typically characterised by pain and stiffness in the shoulder joint.

While the triggers which cause this debilitating inflammatory condition remain uncertain, its characteristic pain and stiffness can make simple daily tasks such as dressing, using a hair dryer, changing gears in the car or reaching for your cup of coffee impossible.

The condition can be serious and tends to get worse over time without treatment as collagen and adhesions build up and the shoulder joint becomes fibrotic leading to pain and restricted movement which can last up to 4 years.

How can we help at Ben&Biao?

We use a combination of acupuncture, electro-acupuncture, manual release therapies and massage in order to stimulate the breakdown of adhesions and to stimulate the body to break down the excessive collagen which has built up in the joint capsule.

If you would like to know more about how we may be able to help, please contact us or book an appointment online.

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Recovery from sports injury

ben&biao — Wed, 31 Jul 2019 06:53:21 +0000

We have already posted some information about the benefits of using acupuncture for pain management; but what about from recovering from a physical trauma – such as a sports injury? Forgot to properly align yourself when you last lifted weights? Didn’t warm-up before spending a couple of hours on the tennis court? Over did it on the bike exercise class?

We’ve all been there – come home from a day at the gym or outdoors only to find that we don’t have the usual aches and pains from a work out but have damaged ourselves with a muscle or tendon injury. Turns out that not only can acupuncture help manage chronic or long-term pain, but that it can also actually help to speed up the recovery process from a physical injury. In fact, seeing an acupuncturist soon after a sports injury can significantly improve healing.

The theory behind this? Acupuncture helps to reduce inflammation in the body; inflammation is what creates the pain (impeding proper flow of our blood and lymph systems and pushing on our various nerve receptors). While alleviating the pain, acupuncture also simultaneously stimulates the release of various hormones and neurotransmitters in the body that help the alleviate the feelings of pain (think of your body’s own supply of endorphins, encephalins, and serotonin). There are many journal articles on sites such as pubmed.gov that show the effectiveness of acupuncture with recovery time from muscle injury. Below is a link to an article in a men’s health magazine that may help peak your interest a little more without having to pore through entire journal articles.

If you’d like to make a booking for a sports injury please book with Sally Chilvers [BOOK NOW]

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Stopping Endometriosis Pain in 2021

ben&biao — Thu, 28 Mar 2019 19:20:00 +0000

March is Endometriosis awareness month. As subscribers to many endo facebook/group chat/ dedicated web pages on endometriosis we were bombarded with yet more self help info. Most of it is the same information; what are the ‘in supplements’, ‘what to do when surgery doesn’t change anything’, ‘what foods are good and what foods are bad’ etc …

It made us think about our own practice here at ben & biao and how we try and help women with endometriosis.

Generally, the most pressing symptom is PAIN. In order to understand how we treat it you have to understand what causes it.

Pain is the nervous system’s way of letting the body know that there is something majorly wrong going on. It’s the body’s way of saying ‘STOP..we’ve got a problem that needs to be sorted out’.

There are a few different ways the nervous system makes pain but let’s focus on endometriosis pain.

Endometriosis gives different types of pain signals:

Nociceptor pain. A nociceptor is a sensory neuron that responds to damaging stimuli by sending ‘possible threat’ signals to the brain and spinal cord which immediately sends out pain signals to tell the body ‘we have a problem’. When the endometrial tissue expands or invades the wrong parts of the body it’s these nociceptors and the brain interaction that cause the initial pain.
Inflammatory pain. The body responds to this nociceptor pain by sending in the army. Our body’s army is called our IMMUNE SYSTEM. Like any great army it’s big with many divisions. The division that is sent down to deal with the invading tissue is called the inflammatory response. This ‘Inflammation’ is a complex team made up of different cells that go in and try and destroy the invading endometrial tissue and mop up the damage to the surrounding tissue. As it goes to work it causes swelling, heat and yet more pain!!! Inflammation is supposed to be a short-lived experience. Go in, do the job and leave. However, because endometrial tissue responds to sex hormones it grows each month meaning that the body has this response continuously leading to greater and greater inflammation in the area. This causes so many other problems which I don’t have time to write about here but the bottom line is that the body moves into a state of chronic inflammation and that short term pain becomes constant.
Neuropathic pain. This can arise in various ways such as traumatic injury, infection or metabolic issues. In the case of endometriosis nerve pain may be the result of nerve damage or impingement caused by the invading tissue but when the body has experienced many cycles of endometrial pain the nervous system can malfunction and cause a kind of ‘ghost pain’ where the tissue and the inflammation may have gone away (for example after surgery) but the nervous system which is no longer functioning properly still believes there is a problem and sends pain signals. It’s different from the nociceptor pain in that it is usually heavy, stabbing or burning in sensation.

So that explains about what causes the pain now what do we do at the clinic to help stop it?

Lower inflammation. We do this via herbal support, lifestyle and dietary changes. We will discuss these options with you at your consultations and support you as you engage with changes along the way.
Use Acupuncture to deaden the pain signals. Acupuncture is one of the best ways to influence the neurological system. Your body has millions of nerves and we use our knowledge of the nervous system to influence both the local nerves (near where the endometrial tissue is growing) and the ones near the brain stem and spinal cord to deaden the pain. The tiny needles are put into areas of the body that we know to have the most influence. It’s not painful and after a course of treatment you should start to notice a difference in your pain thresholds and pain response.
Use Arvigo™ massage to break up stagnation and loosen adhesions.

So that’s the way to deal with the immediate pain. However, the other problem is that the body is still growing the tissue in an amount and often in areas it’s not wanted.

This is the CAUSE and this is more complex to deal with.

While we may not know exactly what kicks off your endometriosis, we know that there are links with hormone imbalance, inflammation and of course your genetic dispositions (IE if mum had it you may be more likely to get it).

Hormone imbalances we attempt to deal with by using Chinese herbs. We have some great evidence-based herbs and herbal formulas that effect female sex hormones and can help balance them out.
While science can’t (yet) do anything specific to your genes, science is starting to show that the gut microbiome can affect your gene expression. Therefore, we work with you to get your digestion and specifically your gut into tip top condition using supplements and specific strains of probiotics that have evidence of improving and readdressing gut flora.
Endometriosis and inflammation are like chicken and the egg. One can breed the other. Of course, not everyone with inflammation will get endometriosis but chronic long term inflammation can and does cause a heap of problems for the body and if you have endometriosis as your main problem then your slant is that you are going to increase endometriosis if you have systemic inflammation! Co-incidentally the immune system starts in the gut and we know that bad gut microbiome is a breeding ground for systemic inflammation so yes, we look to stop the inflammation with gut changing probiotics. We use herbs that have anti-inflammatory effect, but we also take a look at the other factors which we know to cause inflammation such as stress, diet, lifestyle, alcohol and work with you to build strategies that will help deal with these.

Lastly, I want to add that we aren’t against surgery. Surgery/ablation will get rid of a lot if not all the endometrial tissue and local inflammation. You will not know until afterwards how successful it is for your pain or if it will come back again. We are always happy to work with women pre/post-surgery.

We hope that we’ve given you a bit of a different slant on the normal ‘endometriosis blog’ and that you will see that you need to treat the ‘cause’ as well as the ‘symptom’ or as we say the ben & biao (root and branch) if you really want to get a handle on endometriosis.

If you would like help with treating endometriosis then please contact Sally Heidi or Jacqueline at the clinic to work out a plan for you.

Book an appointment with Sally, Heidi or Jacqueline HERE or phone us for an appointment

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Neck & Shoulder Pain

ben&biao — Thu, 28 Mar 2019 09:25:13 +0000

This month we have been inundated with shoulder and neck problems. So we thought it would be a good time to do a blog and video (yes we’ve gone live!) on this.

According to population surveys shoulder pain effects 18-26% of adults at any point in time. That’s approximately 1 in 5 people reading this!

What causes Shoulder and Neck Pain?

Shoulder and neck problems are generally caused by one of the following or a combination of them:

Computer work
Posture
Looking and working on phones
Stress
Sport
Car accident or other traumas or old injuries

It used to be that trauma and old injuries were the most common reason for pain to the shoulder and neck however, while they are still relevant, today work and lifestyle environments are far more common causes.

The average adult head weighs 8 kilos. It is connected to the rest of the body by just 7 vertebrae. To maintain it’s upright position there is lots of scaffolding! Muscles to the back, Muscles to the front, Muscles to the side. It is these muscles that give the head is flexibility to turn side to side and, look up and down.

Is technology the cause?

Ideally we should use all the head and neck muscles about the same so that no one muscle overrides any of the others. However, every time you look down at the phone or ipad it is the muscles at the side and back of your neck and those attached to your back and pecs that take the strain. The ones that are at the front start to get weaker.

Over time this dominance becomes a problem to the body. The muscles at the back and side having been stretched start to lose their elasticity. They put pressure on other muscles that they are attached to or are close by. The muscles involved may actually start to scar and will of course start to ache and give that throbbing pain.

In computer work the body is also looking down but there is additional strain through the repetition of the fingers and forearms. These muscles are overworked and cause stagnation and tightness in the upper arms and shoulders.

Stress

Why is it that stress causes back ache?

Stress from work or life presents physically as tension in the body. As we feel we are under attack the body starts to tighten the muscles ready for fight and flight. If you have long term stress it is quite common for this tension to manifest around the back, neck and shoulders.

Posture

Sitting down for long periods of time causes bad posture. The abdominals weaken which are crucial to a stable mid and upper back. It’s like a building, the foundations aren’t strong so the upper floors strain and buckle.

Referred Pain

There is also the referred pain. Often people are carrying pain elsewhere in the arms such as the biceps and forearms. Have a feel…is anything feeling a bit sore or tight? As the upper muscles tighten it is not uncommon for the nerves to become sensitised and give a referred pain further down the line.

WHAT TO DO AND WHEN?

There is the painful stage and the managing stage.

During the painful stage the most crucial aspect is to relax the muscles and turn down the pain receptors.

A great way to do this is through acupuncture.

At ben&biao we use a specific type of acupuncture technique called motor point (not trigger point) activation to specifically target a muscle group and using an electrical device we stimulate each overworked muscle group. In shoulders and neck problems these are muscles such as

Trapezius
Levator scapulae
Scalenes
Deltoids

This is more effective than massage because the very fine needles can access the deeper muscle groups that are affected and when we stimulate the muscles with acupuncture there are several benefits to this technique of relaxing the muscles:

The technique is quick – no need to pound away at the sore/tight area.
We restore the elasticity to the muscle, you will feel it soften and relax
This takes the strain off the affected joints/bones and eases related pain
Strength returns to the muscle when it can fire correctly
It helps to restore the brain-muscle connection and reminds the brain that weak or overstretched muscles are still available to be fired when moving the body – eg firing glutes when running or taking the stairs, not just hamstrings or quads.

Once the muscles that are a problem are determined and activated the treatment itself only takes about 30-45 minutes. Most people feel some immediately relief. Follow ups will depend on the individual and each presentation but generally 2-3 treatments will get you back on track.

During the management stage you need to do some homework to maintain the newly released muscles and to minimize a recurrence of your problems

Management :

Manage your posture: Yes, everyone is on computers ! it’s unavoidable ! BUT are you taking ‘time out’ to move away from your screen? Is your desk set up optimal to promote good posture?
Stretching. This is so important. You can do everything else here but if you don’t stretch your muscles will lose the elasticity and tighten.
Keep the core strong. Those abdominals are the foundation for all the others. Invest in exercise such as pilates or work with a specialist that can identify your weak muscle groups and help you adopt correcting exercises.
Book yourself in for acupuncture once every 6 weeks to keep on top of muscle tension if you feel everything else might slide.

Prevention is better than cure

If you have shoulder and neck issues book call to find out how we can help or Book an appointment with Sally or Bree now for a treatment.

References:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4836557/

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Foot pain – the ben&biao Approach

ben&biao — Thu, 28 Feb 2019 20:34:13 +0000

Feet that take us wherever we want or need to go anytime we choose – it’s fundamental right?

Some of us are lucky enough to get away with taking our feet for granted. We dance, run, stand all day and enjoy our activities with no consequences whatsoever.

For some of us though, Heel Spurs, Plantar Fasciitis, Plantar Heel Pain or Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome can really pull us up short with either sharp pain when we are active, or when we first get out of bed in the morning and after a rest with our feet up.

For others it’s a consistent dull ache wearing away at our peace of mind.

At ben&biao we look at your whole picture to see what is driving the pain and we work with you to create a strategy to move you forward.

The exact cause of the pain is often unclear, but we will assess you and look for signs such as:

INFLAMMATION,
TIGHT MUSCLES, TENDONS, LIGAMENTS & FASCIA
FLAT FEET

We will also ask a range of questions to help us discover possible triggers eg:

INAPPROPRIATE FOOTWEAR – it needs to fit and provide adequate support for the types of activity you do, and not cause you any pain
CONTRIBUTING LIFESTYLE & ACTIVITIES – are there stresses you haven’t thought of? Perhaps changes you can make to avoid aggravating the pain and to avoid relapses or becoming chronic. We can help identify these with you along with showing you appropriate stretching techniques.

Acupuncture for foot pain

If your reaction was “ouch!” then it might help to know that acupuncture needles are TINY and not hollow, compared to those used to inject anti-inflammatories that you may be considering… a whole different ball game.

Acupuncture and EA helps to reduce inflammation, relax muscles, stimulate tissue repair, strengthen muscle, improve local circulation and reduce pain.

Acupuncture can be used to relieve Plantar Fasciitis (PF). In a 2012 study, treatment using electro acupuncture (EA) plus conventional care was compared to a control group receiving only conventional care (stretching exercised, shoe modification and rescue pain killers).

EA combined with conventional treatments provided a success rate of 80% in chronic PF and the combination was more effective than conventional treatment alone and lasted for at least 6 weeks.

A typical course of treatment is twice per week for five weeks. 10 treatments in all.

PREVENTION: always better than cure – so remember to wear appropriate footwear, manage your weight, avoid exercising on hard surfaces and keep feet and leg muscles and joints flexible. Warm up and stretch properly before you exercise.

References:

Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Research 2019 14:31

https://doi.org/10.1186/s13018-019-1066-4

Comparing two dry needling interventions for plantar heel pain: a protocol for a randomized controlled trial

The American Journal of Chinese Medicine Vol 40, No. 06 pp 1167-1176 (2012)

Efficacy of Electro-Acupuncture in Chronic Plantar Fasciitis: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Call us to make an appointment today or simply book online.

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Running Injuries – How can Acupuncture help?

ben&biao — Thu, 28 Feb 2019 20:05:23 +0000

Runners are notorious for a range of common injuries. Here are some we see regularly:

Muscle Imbalances:

If you focus your training too much on quads and calves which drive you forward and forget about the lateral muscles such as your glutes, after a while your brain forgets to engage them and they become weak. This can make your pelvis unstable and when you run the excessive motion in your hips can create instability in your knees, ankles and feet.

Acupuncture with e-stimulation (e-stim), can get those lateral butt muscles firing and remind your brain how to engage them when you need them. Stronger lateral glute muscles contribute to a more injury-resilient running style.

Overuse injuries and Inflammation

Inflammation is part of the natural healing process but over-training, incorrect biomechanics, stress and inadequate diet can result in localised pockets of chronic inflammation that cause pain and impair function.

Acupuncture and particularly electro-acupuncture can reduce inflammation and stimulate healing. We use FDA approved devices which we know deliver the specific doses required to achieve results. This is particularly useful around the sheath of the Achilles tendon, in the joint spaces of the knee and ankle, or behind the insertion of the iliotibial band.

Tendon Dysfunction

As you increase your training your muscles strengthen and grow. Muscles are well supplied with nerves and blood and can adapt to change more quickly than connective tissue like tendons and ligaments which have relatively little blood supply. If you increase your training load too quickly you may injure a tendon. The collagen fibres become jumbled and stuck together and scar tissue forms.

Acupuncture works in two ways here. It will improve the blood supply to the injured area and speed recovery plus the combination of acupuncture and e-stim, has been shown to increase the diameter, reorganization, and strength of a tendon’s collagen fibres.

Acupuncture also releases the excessive tension in muscles and fascia that are overloading the tendon in the first place. There is actually an acupuncture point specifically for promoting the health of tendons throughout your entire body.

Relaxing is as important as training. Acupuncture is a great way to chill out mind and body after all that hard work. Call us to make an appointment today or simply book online.

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