Allan is a 68-year-old semi retired farmer. He complained of
an 18 months history of worsening neck pain. The pain was going up to the back
of his head and down to his shoulders. He also felt dizzy and couldn't control
his balance when walking. The pain was really quite severe and he had to go and
lie down to give his neck a rest on occasions. This was wearing him down and
definitely interfering with his every day activities. He had tried lots of pain
killers but not had obvious relief and also had side effects. MRI scan showed
severe degenerative change in his spine. Nerve conduction studies showed a left
ulnar nerve entrapment and a milder right ulnar nerve entrapment. The spinal
surgeon felt that cervical spine surgery is unlikely to benefit. This made Allan
decide to try alternative treatments such as acupuncture. I combined
electro-acupuncture, acupressure and moxabustion, and Allan felt better
straight away. After the first session the pain eased off and he didn't have a
headache for a whole week, his sleep also improved. After some weekly sessions
his condition got more stable and we gradually extended the intervals. Now
Allan only comes to see me when the symptoms come back, and there can be months
without any problem.
