Inspired by Guan et al 2020,[1] and Dunning et al 2020.[2] MC's favourite EA protocol for chronic shoulder pain (left), best position for the elbows to avoid RC impingement when doing press-ups or holding this mid-press position (lower right)... EA – electroacupuncture; a technique where electrical pulses are passed between pairs of filiform acupuncture needles … Continue reading Shoulder EA 2020
Category: Dry needling
Plantar heel pain
Inspired by Al-Boloushi et al 2020,[1] and Ho et al 2020.[2] Photo by Min An on Pexels.com These two papers came out towards the end of August and have been waiting to be aired. They both involve needling with filiform acupuncture needles, and they both have ‘plantar heel pain’ in their titles, so they naturally … Continue reading Plantar heel pain
Reviewing, Race & Sex
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com I was spoilt for choice this week! Various papers had the potential to make the cut, but there was no easy way to draw them together, apart from the fact that many were systematic reviews.[1–5] The race and sex from the title refers to a couple of recent experimental papers … Continue reading Reviewing, Race & Sex
Atraumatic glenohumeral dislocation, IBS and other stories
Stimulated by Qin et al 2020,[1] and Pei et al 2020.[2] Image modified from Figure 1 of Qin et al 2020.[1] The first paper I am highlighting this week is an adverse event report attributed to acupuncture. It is quite unusual for two reasons. First, as the title states, the case presented with a shoulder … Continue reading Atraumatic glenohumeral dislocation, IBS and other stories
Spinal epidural haematomas 2020
Stimulated by Chen et al.[1] Photo by Joyce McCown on Unsplash. This paper was published last month and has been waiting in the wings, so to speak. I was intrigued by the reference to mimicking stroke in the title. I was also under the impression that I had highlighted this adverse event before, but on checking, the previous … Continue reading Spinal epidural haematomas 2020
Plantar fasciitis 2020
Stimulated by Zhou et al 2020.[1] Image by Cristian Newman on Unsplash. I was drawn to look at this paper because the title suggested a possible link between calf muscles and plantar fasciitis (PF). I have resisted this idea for many years, and perhaps this paper would shed some light on my gut feeling about … Continue reading Plantar fasciitis 2020
V-V hyperalgesia again
Stimulated by Constantini et al 2020.[1] Image by Emiliano Vittoriosi on Unsplash. This is another paper from the Italian stable of Maria Adele Giamberardino. So perhaps you have guessed that the V-V stands for viscerovisceral. This is another novel relatively long-term experimental study embedded within actual clinical practice. The rather older but similar clinical experimental … Continue reading V-V hyperalgesia again
Co-occurrence of pain syndromes
Stimulated by Affaitati et al 2019.[1] Photo by Aiony Haust on Unsplash. This paper popped up on a very recent search, but not because it mentions acupuncture, in fact it doesn’t. I also search every day for the latest research in myofascial pain. I had a look at this one because of the last author … Continue reading Co-occurrence of pain syndromes
NREs and TTIs in the Netherlands
Stimulated by Prinsze et al 2019.[1] Photo by Cassi Josh on Unsplash. New acronyms are guaranteed to get me guessing, but these two were a challenge. They roll off the tongue pretty well as acronyms, but I had to check both! NREs are needle-related events, so that is relevant to the blog, and TTIs are transfusion-transmissible infections ie … Continue reading NREs and TTIs in the Netherlands
Piriformis revisited
In regret triggered by the title of Probst et al 2019.[1] This diagram illustrates the anatomical location of piriformis relative to the pelvis, and the characteristic pain referral patterns that form part of the myofascial syndrome. The blue dots on the leg represent tingling that might occur if there is nerve entrapment in piriformis syndrome. … Continue reading Piriformis revisited









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