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Western medical acupuncture uses the insertion of fine needles to create a therapeutic effect. The therapeutic modality is an adaptation of traditional Chinese acupuncture, which bases its therapeutic principles on restoring the balance of Yin/Yang and the circulation of qi (Chi). The body map in traditional Chinese medicine consists of meridian lines with traditional acupuncture points throughout their course. Chi is said to flow along these pathways in the human body and disease results from a disruption in that flow. Western medical acupuncture works with the current knowledge and understanding of anatomy, physiology and pathology. Osteopaths study these subjects extensively throughout their 4-5 years of training.

Osteopaths who use western medical acupuncture regard the treatment method as a part of their skill set rather than a complete alternative medical therapy. Its main application acts on stimulating the nervous system, which can assist in pain management and muscular relaxation. The needles are most often inserted into trigger points, which can cause a relaxation reflex within that muscle.

Other differences between western medical acupuncture and traditional Chinese acupuncture, is that osteopaths do not tend to heat or use electrical stimulation through the needles and they generally leave the needles for up to 5-10 minutes as opposed to 20-30 minutes as in traditional Chinese acupuncture.

Rehabilitation exercise is an important element of your recovery. It speeds up your recovery progress, educates you to understand your injury, be more proactive and involved in your recovery, gives you the tools to manage the issue if it returns and reduces the number of treatment sessions required.

Tailored exercise plans are used to re-educate the neurological system and strengthen and musculoskeletal system. It's not only sports people that benefit from this, all patients will be given simple exercises to start and a progression if necessary depending on the required outcome or level of activity to be resumed.

Most rehabilitation programmes require little or no equipment so will be easy to perform in the comfort of your own home. Advice will be given on repetitions and the number of sets to be performed to gain the maximum benefit and improve your recovery process.

If you've ever wondered what the brightly coloured tape is, making strange patterns on the bodies of professional athletes and sports persons, then its most likely to be Kinesio Tape.

The tape gives support and stability to your muscles and joints without limiting the range of motion of the joint or restricting the circulation. It can positively affect joint proprioception (your body's awareness of where a joint is in space) and the neuromuscular elements of the muscular system. It can also be used to treat pain via the neurological system and reduce swelling via the lymphatic system.

It's elasticated in nature and has the ability to lift the skin and facia to allow the circulatory and lymphatic systems to work more effectively. Osteopaths who are trained to use this method of treatment will use it in combination with other treatment modalities such as rehabilitation exercises.

Common injuries that are treated with kenesio tape are, rotator cuff injuries of the shoulder, back injuries, neck injuries, hamstring and calf injuries.

Sports taping or athletic taping differs greatly from Kinesio taping. Its main use is to restrict a movement of a joint or limit the range of motion of a muscle. It's not stretchy in nature and is used to support ligaments and capsules of unstable joints or used for splinting. This reduces the aggravation of the soft tissues and consequently reduces the pain and improves recovery. Sports taping is usually used for muscle tears, joint sprains and to stabilise subluxed joints.

Common injuries that benefit from sports taping are sprained ankles, shin splints, plantar fasciitis, finger injuries, toe injuries and shoulder dysfunction.

Cold therapy is used to reduce inflammation and slow down blood flow to an injury, therefore reducing pain. It also has an effect on muscle spasms and bruising and should be used immediately after an injury has occurred. Cold therapy should be used for 1-3 days after an injury has been sustained. Its used for joint sprains, muscular strains, reducing inflammatory reactions, general pain and muscular spasms. Its applied via ice in a damp tea towel, wrapped bag of frozen peas or a covered frozen gel pack. It should be applied for 10-15 minutes and left off for an hour and then repeated.

Heat therapy is used to dilate the blood vessels therefore increasing blood flow, oxygen and nutrients to the injured area. It's mostly used for muscles that have gone into spasm and to alleviate the pain associated with this. This allows an increase in range of motion and flexibility.

Heat can be dry or moist depending on the source. Hot water bottles and gel packs are often used or you can run a bath. Heat should be applied if you have chronic stiff joints or chronic muscular pain.

If in doubt, always use cold therapy on acute injuries as heat could cause an acute inflammatory response and aggravate the nerve endings causing pain.

This form of therapy should be used after the acute phase and when the inflammation has reduced. It has the benefits of both therapies in that it brings new blood, nutrients and oxygen to an injury site and then induces a pumping affect with the cold, which pushes out the waste material.

It should be used in the ratio of 3 minutes hot to 1 minute cold x 3. It can be done with ice packs and hot water bottles or in the shower with temperature control.

Ergonomic assessment is an important factor in reducing work stress and pain in everybody's job. The way we interact with our environment can place a great strain on our musculoskeletal system and lead to absenteeism or any number of common work place injuries.

These injuries can include postural issues, spinal pain, headaches, repetitive strain injuries (RSI) and carpel tunnel syndrome, to name a few. It is therefore important to get sound advice from professionals, such as osteopaths, on ergonomic desk set up, driving position or any interaction with equipment which could potentially cause an injury to develop.

Manual handling techniques are another important factor in most people's jobs to prevent them from having work place injuries. An understanding of how to use your body most effectively within your job can protect yourself and others from sustaining injuries such as back pain, disc prolapses, ligament injuries and muscular strains.

An assessment of your work place practices may need to be conducted to have a thorough understanding of the implications your job may be having on your health. The findings will then be discussed and a training plan implemented to help you minimise the physical stress being placed on your body.

Sports Massage aims to manipulate and stimulate the body's own innate mechanism to heal the soft tissues that make up the musculoskeletal system. These include the muscular system, tendons and ligamentous structures. Over training or increasing the intensity of training leading up to competition can have an adverse effect on the soft tissues, which may create an environment where they become imbalanced and inflamed.

If the tension placed on the musculoskeletal system is ignored, it may progress to a state where the sportsperson reduces their rate of progression, impedes their performance and consequently may put themselves at risk of injury.

Deep Tissue Massage focuses on the deeper layers of muscle and fascia of the body, which can hold tension due to stress and poor posture. The treatment focuses on releasing this tension and allows the muscles to relax and benefit from improved perfusion of fresh blood, which carries oxygen, nutrients and removes toxins.

Typically, this form of treatment is used for people who want to de-stress, have pain associated with poor posture and for those who have manual jobs, who can suffer with the build up of physical stress.