Medical & Neuro-functional Acupuncture in Port Elgin & Saugeen Shores
With acupuncture we target muscle tension, nerve pathways, and painful joints to accelerate your pain relief, mobility, and recovery.
Acupuncture therapy is safe, effective, and gentler than you may think.
How does acupuncture work?
Acupuncture therapy is the insertion of a small, fine needle past the skin into a very specific point. The points selected may be based on anatomy such as muscles, trigger points, nerves, or joints, or they may be selected based on principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Acupuncture therapy decreases pain, releases muscle tension, and improves blood flow at the site of pain or injury, and sometimes at other body regions as well.
How does acupuncture reduce pain?
Acupuncture may reduce pain through:
Gate control theory: adding a new sensation—the insertion of the needle—blocks pain signals from an injury from reaching the brain
Release of endorphins: acupuncture therapy encourages the body to release its own pain relief chemicals
Increasing blood flow: allowing waste products to be moved away from a site of injury, and allowing nutrients and healing cells to move in
What conditions can acupuncture treat?
Acupuncture therapy can help with:
Headaches and migraines
Neck pain and shoulder tension
Acute and chronic low back pain, pelvic pain, or sciatica
Rotator cuff and other shoulder injuries
Muscle strain and sports injuries
Lower extremity joint pain in the hips, knees, and ankles
Easing muscular trigger points
What is your clinical approach to acupuncture therapy?
At Bruce Village Chiropractic we offer both Contemporary Medical Acupuncture and a Neurofunctional Acupuncture.
Contemporary Medical Acupuncture is rooted in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Acupuncture points are selected based on the specific location of your pain or injury, the meridian upon which that pain or injury falls, and “influential points” for body systems such as nerve pain points, muscle pain points, or joint pain points.
Neurofunctional Acupuncture treatments follow specific muscle and nerve pathways. The treatment plan is based on muscular origins and insertions, and the pathways of nerves through soft tissues.
Dr. Burns is certified in Contemporary Medical Acupuncture, and Dr. Tuason is certified in Neurofunctional Acupuncture, however they both borrow from diverse techniques, approaches, and philosophies when creating treatment plans.
What can I expect at my first acupuncture visit?
Assessment: If you’re a new patient to the clinic your first visit will begin with an assessment. During the assessment we review your pain complaint or reason for your visit, your health history including medications, past injuries, surgeries, or illnesses, and any goals you have for treatment. We then perform a physical examination of the body region of your complaint. We examine the joints, muscles, and nerve pathways in this region to determine which acupuncture points may be beneficial for your care. All of this information is used to make a treatment plan tailored to you that is safe and effective.
Insertion: When we’ve reviewed the plan with you, and you’ve given your consent, we begin treatment! You may receive treatment laying down on your back, belly, or side, or even sitting up. We locate and sanitize the acupuncture points to prepare your skin for needle insertion. We then tap the needle into your skin and place the needle in the targeted body tissue. The acupuncture needles sterile, and single use only. They are extremely fine as well so depending on where they are placed you may not feel them beyond the initial “tap” into your skin!
Feeling: Needles are typically left in place for 15-20 minutes. During that time it is common to feel a sensation of fullness, dullness, or warmth at the points themselves. If you have a trigger point or tense muscle that is being treated you may feel the tension “letting go” in the muscle. (And this feels AMAZING!) Patients also report an overall sensation of relaxation or occasionally invigoration while being treated.
Optional Stimulation: Some conditions benefit from additional electrical stimulation, or “e-stim”, with the inserted needles. We offer this as an additional treatment modality to our patients!
Integrated Care: Some patients enjoy a combination of acupuncture with their typical manual therapy treatments such as manual massage, joint mobilizations, or adjustments. We are happy to provide acupuncture + other therapies in the same visit.
If you still have questions about whether acupuncture therapy is right for you, book a complimentary 15-minute consultation with one of our chiropractors. We would be happy to help!
Frequently Asked Questions
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Yes! Acupuncture therapy may be a part of your treatment plan, even if you are taking medications including blood thinners. There are certain acupuncture points we avoid for safety, and you may be more likely to have a small bruise or bleed at the site of needle insertion, but many patients enjoy the benefits of acupuncture therapy while taking blood thinners.
As always, please be prepared to discuss your medication regimen at your first visit, and provide any updates to your medications at subsequent treatments.
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Yes! Acupuncture therapy can be extremely relieving to many aches and pains associated with pregnancy, especially when your pregnancy has made you sensitive to other treatment offerings.
There are modifications we make to treatment, such as which position you lay in and the points we use. We would be happy to discuss these modifications in a free 15-minute consultation or during your appointment!
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Acupuncture may create feelings of warmth, fullness, or dullness at the needle point. Some points are more sensitive than others, and some folks are more sensitive to needle placement than others. Most patients report a feeling of calm or invigoration (depending on treatment!) after acupuncture therapy.
What is important to know is that if you are at any time uncomfortable during treatment you can let your practitioner know and we will remove the needles immediately.
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Acupuncture needles are very tiny - smaller than the tip of a pen, very unlike the needles used for blood draws or injections. If you’d like, your clinician can show you the size of a needle before we begin!
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Yes! We only use single use, sterile, medical grade acupuncture needles in our practice.
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Yes! This is actually very common. You can receive a combination of acupuncture and any of our other offered treatment modalities such as adjustments, soft tissue treatment, home exercise and rehabilitation, etc.
In order to receive the most from your acupuncture therapy, we recommend a 45-minute treatment when combining modalities so that the needles have enough time to be maximally effective.
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Needle insertion usually takes a few minutes, and we leave needles in for 15-20 minutes, or even longer for relaxation or stubborn muscle tension. An acupuncture treatment lasts at least 30 minutes.
If it’s your first visit, assessment and treatment will be 60 minutes.
If you’d like to receive acupuncture and other chiropractic treatment modalities, we recommend a 45 minute treatment.
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No! Chiropractors are a “primary contact” profession, meaning you can book your own appointment without a referral from your family doctor.
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No, chiropractic care is not covered by OHIP. Many extended benefit plans (private insurance, such as GreenShield, Blue Cross, Manulife, Sunlife, etc.) cover chiropractic care.
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Yes! Chiropractic care is covered by most extended health benefit plans. It is up to you, the holder of the policy, to confirm coverage as we are not permitted to make general coverage inquiries with private insurers. Please also be aware that chiropractic care can be billed under chiropractic only, even if acupuncture therapy is offered during your treatment.
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Yes! Our clinic treatment room, washrooms, wait room, and front door are fully accessible for wheel chairs, walkers, and other mobility aids. Our treatment room is also spacious to allow for caregivers to participate in treatments as needed. For directions to the most accessible parking locations, please contact us directly.
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The best way to contact us is whatever makes you the most comfortable.
Text message: 519-389-7078
Phone call: 519-389-7078 **Please note we are a small team of two clinicians. While we do our best to answer the phone we may be with patients when you call.
Email: hello@brucevillage.ca
Book online: brucevillage.janeapp.com (or click the button below!)