⚡️ Last week, a Thai lady in her mid-40s came to the clinic because she had a headache for a week. The headache did not improve with pain medication or injections from the clinic doctor. We have many patients who come without knowing or understanding why they have problems. I would like to discuss today’s topic case: Headache
❤️ Pain is just a messenger. If you only want to block the messenger to avoid pain, it is not a wise idea for us.
How can a headache happen?
❤️ If irritation occurs in any of these three structures:
- Dura Mater
- Cranial Nerve V (Trigeminal)
- Muscles of the Head/Face/Neck, can trigger a headache
After screening questions, I discovered that this lady’s headache is characterized by a tight band or dull ache around her head. Therefore, I performed acupuncture on muscles that can trigger headaches such as the trapezius, SCM and sub-occipital muscles combined with electro-stimulation.
Three days later, she reported that after the first session, she did not have a headache for two days. However, yesterday the pain returned, although not as severe. She told me something that surprised me –
Patient ask – is the relief from needle medication may only last a few days, right?
Me – I explained to her that acupuncture simply involves using very thin fine stainless-steel needles without any medication on the needle“
❤️ The problem could be resolved if we could release some tension in certain areas. However, one acupuncture session is not enough to complete this task. We need some time to ensure her problem has been resolved in a long-term manner. She made an appointment for three visits, each 2-3 days apart. After three sessions of acupuncture, this patient reported that the pain did not return. I recommend continuing the treatment at least once a week for 3-4 weeks to prevent the condition from returning.
It is understandable that some patients can get relief from pain medication, but the majority of the time and in this case, medication does not help much until we deal with her root cause by releasing tension in certain areas to reduce her headache.
