Pain can be recent or persistent, localised to one area or experienced more widely. It may relate to an injury or diagnosed condition, or continue without a clear explanation. Different kinds of pain require different assessment and care.
Pain can affect movement, sleep, work, exercise, relationships, mood and confidence in normal activities. Persistent pain can also fluctuate over time, with periods when symptoms are easier to manage and flare-ups when they become more difficult.
This general page introduces East West Clinic's approach to pain. More specific information is available for conditions including back pain and headaches, with further condition pages being developed.
Pain is not experienced in isolation. Its impact may interact with sleep, stress, physical activity, energy, mood, work, relationships and other aspects of health.
During treatment, Jamie considers where and how the pain is felt, when it began, what changes it, and how it affects everyday life. The assessment also considers any diagnosis, investigations, medication, rehabilitation and other care you are receiving.
Current NICE guidance for chronic pain recommends a person-centred assessment that considers both the possible causes of pain and its wider effects. It recognises that quality of life may improve even when pain does not completely disappear.
Pain may be described in several ways. Acute pain is generally short-term and may follow an injury, illness or procedure. Chronic or persistent pain lasts or recurs for more than three months.
Chronic secondary pain is associated with an underlying condition that adequately explains the pain or its impact. Chronic primary pain describes pain where no underlying condition adequately explains the pain or its impact. Both types can occur together.
New, severe, changing or unexplained pain should be appropriately assessed. Acupuncture should not delay diagnosis or necessary medical treatment.
Chinese medicine uses an individual diagnosis rather than treating every person experiencing pain in the same way. Two people with pain in a similar location may therefore receive different acupuncture treatments according to their symptoms, health history and wider presentation.
Jamie combines more than 20 years of clinical experience with detailed pulse diagnosis to understand each person's pattern. Treatment is adapted over time according to the individual's presentation and response.
Where appropriate, treatment may include warmth or other traditional techniques alongside acupuncture. Care may also sit alongside advice from a GP, physiotherapist, pain service or other healthcare professional.
The first appointment provides time to discuss the pain in detail, including when it began, its location and character, movements or activities that affect it, and its impact on sleep, work and daily life.
Jamie will ask about your general health, medication, medical assessment, rehabilitation and other treatment you have received. The appointment includes an individual Chinese medicine assessment and, where appropriate, your first acupuncture treatment.
Jamie will explain the initial approach and discuss suitable review points. No fixed recovery schedule or outcome can be promised.
The Pain and Recovery Pathway is the clinic's main destination for people seeking acupuncture support with pain. It provides a structured starting point for understanding the wider picture, beginning treatment and reviewing your response over time.
The pathway is clinical guidance rather than a rigid package. It can form part of wider care that may also include movement, exercise, rehabilitation, psychological support, medication or specialist medical treatment.
Pathway link: Pain and Recovery Pathway
There is no single evidence conclusion that applies to every type of pain. Acupuncture research and clinical guidance differ according to the specific condition and type of pain.
Current NICE guidance recommends considering a single course of acupuncture or dry needling for chronic primary pain when particular delivery and cost conditions are met. However, other NICE guidelines reach different conclusions for specific conditions. For example, NICE currently says not to offer acupuncture for low back pain with or without sciatica, while it recommends considering acupuncture in particular circumstances for chronic tension-type headache and migraine prevention.
The British Acupuncture Council provides condition-specific fact sheets covering areas including back pain, headache and fibromyalgia. These discuss research suggesting possible benefits, while also noting limitations and uncertainty. Evidence for one pain condition should not be used to claim acupuncture treats all pain.
Responses vary. Decisions about acupuncture should consider the type and cause of pain, current guidance, the individual's preferences and health, and any other care they are receiving.
Further reading:
Seek urgent medical help for severe or rapidly worsening pain, pain following a serious injury, chest pain, sudden severe abdominal pain, or pain accompanied by breathing difficulty, fainting, new weakness, confusion or other serious symptoms.
New, unexplained or changing pain should be medically assessed, particularly when it occurs with fever, unexplained weight loss, night sweats, significant swelling, a history of cancer or other concerning symptoms.
Speak to an appropriate healthcare professional if pain is persistent, affecting everyday life or difficult to manage. Do not stop or change prescribed pain medication without speaking to the clinician responsible for your care.
If pain is affecting your movement, sleep, work or everyday life, a first appointment gives us time to understand your individual presentation and discuss whether acupuncture may be a suitable part of your wider care.