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Jungle Orthopaedics
ORTHOPAEDIC PROBLEMS IN A PRIMITIVE SETTING
Diplomate American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery
Date of production in this revised format: February 15, 2001
Monograph NO. 6
Accupuncture and Trigger Points
Books:
A very excellent and extremely well illustrated book on local anesthesia, including nerve blocks and spinal anesthesia, is:
"Illustrated handbook in focal anesthesia" by Eriksson Publisher Saunders, ISBN 0 7216 3399 4
Acupuncture and trigger point therapy are very important adjuncts to the practice of orthopaedic surgery anywhere, and also have application in many other aspects of medicine. A very excellent book on this subject is:
"Acupuncture,Trigger Points and Musculioskeletal Pain" by P. E. Baldry ISBN 0 443 03991-6
An excellent short course in acupuncture is available from:
Felix Mann, MBBS
15, Devonshire Place:
London W I N, I PB
phone 935 7575
His course is called "Scientific Acupuncture", and is given three times yearly. He admits only doctors to his course, which lasts one week. Dr, Mann is one of the world's leading experts in the field of acupuncture, and has written many books. During the week-long course one learns how to handle many painful conditions, and also some applications to non-orthopaedic conditions. I took his course, and count it one of the most valuable experiences of my professional life. It has proven extremely useful to me in my practice in Bangladesh, and with it I have been able to handle many problems for which there was no other effective solution.
I will not, in these monographs, go into any detail regarding acupuncture, but would like to discuss trigger points a bit. Whenever a trigger point is activated, it can remain "active" long after the inciting cause is gone. It can produce referred pain that can mimic a host of conditions. The trigger point can be identified as a very tender spot to deep palpation. It can be "deactivated" by injection of local anesthesia, or by simply inserting a dry needle into it.
This topic is covered in detail in Dr. Baldry's book.
Just a few of the conditions where acupuncture or trigger point injection is very useful include painful shoulder conditions, headache, low back pains, herniated intervertebral disc, bronchial asthma in children and in some adults , other localized painful conditions, etc.