Sean Heneghan now providing acupuncture with the NHS

June 30, 2011 · by Sean Heneghan · Uncategorized

In 2009 NICE (National Institute for Clinical Excellence) concluded that patients with non specific lower back pain and osteoarthritis of the knee should have access to a variety of different treatment options to help them better manage their condition. NICE have concluded that acupuncture should be one of these treatments on offer.  As a result Sean Heneghan is now one of the acupuncturists providing this service through the Milton Keynes NHS primary care trust.

About 19 in 20 cases of acute onset lower back pain is considered ‘non-specific’, this means that the cause of the pain is unknown. Non specific lower back pain is considered chronic when it lasts for longer than six weeks, and in the UK lower back pain is thought to cost the NHS £480 million a year with the cost of lost productivity and sickness benefits being nearly £11 million. It’s therefore a very common problem and one in which patients are often limited in terms of their treatment options. For patients that suffer more seriously with this condition some of the medications commonly prescribed can become habit forming and cause unwanted side effects. Acupuncture is a safe treatment option that provides patients with a complementary method of managing their condition, and can help take the strain off the NHS in managing this complaint in the population at large.

Patients can be seen by Sean through the NHS only if they are referred directly from the Milton Keynes PCT pain clinic. Patients get referred to the pain clinic after initial consultations with their GP.

 

 

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