Course Outline

This Pain Management course will teach you how to manage pain using a mix of easy to learn and safe to apply traditional Chinese medicine techniques including gentle needling in muscles.

The Foundation of this Pain Management course consist of two weekends Foundation A & B. Which is followed by an Advanced course which is one weekend.

The course provides the theory and practical skills for holistic pain management:

Theory

The theoretical component of the course is designed to give the practitioner a basic understanding of Eastern principles that underpin the use of acupuncture in the treatment of pain, irritation and inflammation in the different muscular skeletal structures, and an understanding of the Western view point of Myofascial Trigger points.

To help minimise the theory and maximise the practical component participants will be required to do a small amount of pre-course preparation.

Practical Skills

The objectives for the practical skills are to:

• give the practitioner the skills and confidence to use, gentle dry needling, acu-stimulator, acupressure and ear-acupuncture safely and successfully in their clinic.
• develop the skills to identify acupuncture points and trigger points.
• teach therapists how to incorporate these new techniques into the existing multi-model modalities within their clinical practice without having to change existing ways of treating. 

In Chinese medicine pain, irritation, inflammation painful muscles are all diagnosed as a dysfunction/blockage in the flow of energy through the Tendo-muscular meridian or energy channel. Knowing the flow of the meridians is therefore very important. The knowledge of the meridian flow will enable you to diagnose which meridian is affected. Stimulating the appropriate distal point and gentle needle the painful spots in muscles (called Ashi points in Chinese Medicine and trigger points in Western medicine) will eliminate the blockage in the Tendo-muscular merdians and the pain disappears.

Course Outline - Foundation Level - Part A & B

Foundation Level - Part A

Day 1. AM

1. Introduction.
2. Myofascial trigger point, theory and latest research
3. Myofascial trigger point diagnoses & palpation of active and latent trigger points
4. Dryneedling, discussion of types, techniques and 'local twitch response'
5. Brief overview of Traditional Chinese medicine in relation to; Energy flow, meridians, etc.
6. Discussion of acupuncture points, myofascial trigger points and ashi points.
7. Practicing needling in cushions.

PM

1. Theory of Acupuncture treatment
   • Health & Safety
   • Contra-indications
   • Patient information
   • Response to treatment
   • Possible complications
2. Practical needling
   • Preparation for needling
   • Creating and safe work environment
   • Safe needling practice
   • Practicing gentle needling of muscles groups
   • Superficial and deep needling techniques of Ashi points/ myofascial trigger points

Day 2. Am

1. Theory of Traditional Chinese medicine continue - Five Elements and Fire & Water treatment method
2. Theory and practice of micro-stimulation using the Acu-stimulator
3. Discussion of the Bladder & Small Intestine TMM meridians, such as plantar fasciitis, achilles tendonitis, calf, hamstring, trapezius inflammation, etc.
4. Discussing of appropriate distal points, finding and stimulating those points and gentle needling of muscles along the Bladder & Small Intestine meridians.

PM

1. Practicing stimulating distal acupuncture points gentle needling muscles along the Bladder & Small intestine meridians.
2. Discussion of the Liver & Gall Bladder TMM meridians, ankle strains, MCL & LCL, TFL, SI joint irritation & inflammation.
3. Discussing of appropriate distal points, finding and stimulating those points and gentle needling of muscles along the Liver & Gall Bladder meridians,

Foundation Level - Part B

Day 3.

1. Recap from the previous weekend.
2. Continue brief overview of Traditional Chinese medicine continue - Dr Wang method.
3. Discussion of the Stomach, Spleen, Lung & Large Intestine TMM meridians, shin splints, chondro-malacia patella, abdominal strain, tennis elbow and rotator cuff inflammation, etc.
4. Discussing of appropriate distal points, finding and stimulating those points and gentle needling of muscles along the Stomach, Spleen, Lung & Large Intestine meridians.

Day 4.

1. Discussion of the Kidney, Heart, Pericardium & Triple Heater TMM meridians, carpal tunnel, golfers elbow, adductor strains, etc.
2. Discussing of appropriate distal points, finding and stimulating those points and gentle needling of muscles along Kidney, Heart, Pericardium & Triple Heater meridians.
3. Clinical practice and case studies.
4. Ear-acupuncture.