Acupuncturist and Osteopath, Paul Clusker, who has nearly 30 years of clinical experience, has finally got support for what he’s believed in for many years- millions of people who suffer from back pain should be given the right to demand free acupuncture on the NHS.
GPs will be told to offer their patients the traditional Chinese practice, as well as other treatments such as osteopathy, as an alternative to conventional remedies like exercise. It is the first time the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has explicitly backed the use of complementary therapies.
Low back pain is a very common problem affecting one in three adults in the UK each year, with an estimated 2.5 million people seeking help from their GP.
For many people the pain goes away in days or weeks. But for some, the pain can persist for a long time and become debilitating.
NICE says anyone whose pain persists for more than six weeks and up to a year should be given a choice of several treatments, in addition to painkillers and advice to stay active and carry on with normal activities as much as possible.
The draft guidance says up to 10 sessions of acupuncture, worth between £35 and £50 per time, or nine visits to an expert in "spinal manipulation" – which could include osteopaths, chiropractors and physiotherapists – should be offered to almost four million patients suffering from chronic back pain.
The move will be welcomed by many of the millions of patients with the ailment, which brings widespread misery and costs the country billions of pounds in sick leave, welfare bills and medical treatment. Indeed, one in three people are estimated to suffer from lower back pain every year, while one in 15 consult their GP about it.
Paul Clusker points out that nationally the NHS currently spends more than £1 billion per year on back pain, including £512 million for hospital treatment, £141 million for GP consultations and £150 million on physiotherapy. Along these lines, NICE say that no one should be referred for X rays or MRI scans until other treatments have been tried, since the majority of back pain has no specific cause.
Professor Steve Field, the chairman of the Royal College of General Practitioners, said: "It's good that GPs are finally being given what appears to be authoritative and well-researched guidance”.
|
