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E-stim 

Treatment with electrical stimulation during acupuncture is a very effective & powerful modality. Sometimes a small electrostim unit is clipped onto the needles. Others, a hand-held unit is used to stimulate motor nerves or trigger points. The latter technique was developed from sports medicine acupuncture. Stimulating the needles with electricity can relieve pain, even pain that is caused by degenerative arthritis and pain that has been unresponsive to regular acupuncture treatment. Patients that have plateaued & those who have their pain recur have been helped via e-stim.

To treat the motor nerve, a needle is inserted into a specific location where a muscle’s motor nerve can be accessed & stimulated. Electricity is applied to the needle for @30-90 seconds. This causes the muscle to move. The muscle will then cease dysfunctional contraction and relax. The spindle fibers of the muscle lengthen. The previous pain signaling is, essentially, reset. In a way, it is a “reboot” of the muscle’s relationship with the brain.

Adding e-stim to the needles and leaving it during retention is a powerful way to treat many types of issues. The "language" of the nervous system is electricity, so we use it to to dramatically increase effectiveness with pain, numbness, neuropathies, palsies, side-effects of cancer therapy...the list goes on & on.

Why it costs more: The cost of community acupuncture is low because patients are scheduled every 15 minutes. The clinic is only sustainable with a high volume of patients. Motor point treatment does not fit in well with this business model. It is more labor intensive & takes longer than 15 minutes to treat even a small number of muscles. Thus, patients must be scheduled for at least 2 appointments in a row, sometimes more. The cost reflects this, but many people find that it is well worth it. It is $60 for 30 min or 1 area, $80 for 1 hr. or 2 areas. 

As with other acupuncture treatment, the number of treatments needed, the duration of effect, the possibility of maintenance and frequency thereof are unique to each individual. It is worth noting that e-stim treatment has been effective for many people who did not respond to any other interventions. I receive emails on a regular basis from grateful patients. Here is a handout with further info on choosing between "basic" acupuncture & e-stim.