WHEN PAIN HASN'T IMPROVED
Some people come to acupuncture with a straightforward complaint. Others arrive after months or years of persistent pain, having already tried multiple approaches without finding satisfactory relief.
These cases may require looking beyond simply treating the place that hurts.
With more than five decades of clinical experience, Zhen-Sheng Gao, L.Ac., brings extensive pattern-recognition skills to the evaluation of persistent and complex pain.
His approach considers where the symptoms are occurring while also looking for broader patterns that may be relevant to the patient's presentation and help guide an individualized Traditional Chinese Medicine treatment plan.
Years of hands-on clinical experience have also refined Gao's ability to recognize subtle differences in tissues through examination and palpation. These observations, considered alongside the patient's symptoms and history, provide additional information that can help guide his approach to treatment.
For people who have tried multiple approaches without satisfactory improvement, looking at the problem from a different perspective may provide a useful next step.
These cases may require looking beyond simply treating the place that hurts.
With more than five decades of clinical experience, Zhen-Sheng Gao, L.Ac., brings extensive pattern-recognition skills to the evaluation of persistent and complex pain.
His approach considers where the symptoms are occurring while also looking for broader patterns that may be relevant to the patient's presentation and help guide an individualized Traditional Chinese Medicine treatment plan.
Years of hands-on clinical experience have also refined Gao's ability to recognize subtle differences in tissues through examination and palpation. These observations, considered alongside the patient's symptoms and history, provide additional information that can help guide his approach to treatment.
For people who have tried multiple approaches without satisfactory improvement, looking at the problem from a different perspective may provide a useful next step.
The Pain Isn't Always Where the Problem Begins
Where you feel pain can provide important information, but it does not always tell the whole story.
Pain in one area may be influenced by tension, restriction, movement patterns, or other structures elsewhere in the body. For this reason, Gao does not limit his examination to the exact location where a patient feels discomfort.
Through palpation, observation, and examination, he looks for patterns that may help explain why an area is being strained or irritated. He may examine surrounding muscles and tissues, compare one side of the body with the other, or evaluate areas that may be contributing to the patient's overall presentation.
This is particularly important when pain keeps returning or has not responded as expected to previous treatment. Treating the painful area alone may not provide all the information needed to understand the pattern.
More than five decades of hands-on clinical experience have refined Gao's ability to recognize subtle differences in tissue tension, tenderness, and restriction through palpation. These findings help him determine an individualized approach to acupuncture treatment.
For example: A patient may experience pain traveling down the leg and naturally assume the problem is entirely in the leg. Gao may also examine the lower back, pelvis, hip, and surrounding tissues to look for patterns that could be relevant to the patient's symptoms. Treatment can then be based on the broader presentation rather than the painful location alone.
Pain in one area may be influenced by tension, restriction, movement patterns, or other structures elsewhere in the body. For this reason, Gao does not limit his examination to the exact location where a patient feels discomfort.
Through palpation, observation, and examination, he looks for patterns that may help explain why an area is being strained or irritated. He may examine surrounding muscles and tissues, compare one side of the body with the other, or evaluate areas that may be contributing to the patient's overall presentation.
This is particularly important when pain keeps returning or has not responded as expected to previous treatment. Treating the painful area alone may not provide all the information needed to understand the pattern.
More than five decades of hands-on clinical experience have refined Gao's ability to recognize subtle differences in tissue tension, tenderness, and restriction through palpation. These findings help him determine an individualized approach to acupuncture treatment.
For example: A patient may experience pain traveling down the leg and naturally assume the problem is entirely in the leg. Gao may also examine the lower back, pelvis, hip, and surrounding tissues to look for patterns that could be relevant to the patient's symptoms. Treatment can then be based on the broader presentation rather than the painful location alone.
Sometimes where it hurts is only the beginning of the evaluation.--Gao
When It May Be Worth Another Perspective
Persistent pain can be frustrating, particularly when you have already invested considerable time and effort trying to address it.
Some patients come to Gao after having tried physical therapy, chiropractic care, medications, injections, massage, previous acupuncture, or other approaches. Those treatments may have been helpful, partially helpful, or simply not provided the degree of improvement the patient hoped for.
Seeking another perspective does not mean that previous treatment was wrong. It may simply mean that the problem deserves to be looked at differently.
Gao approaches persistent pain through the framework of Traditional Chinese Medicine and more than five decades of hands-on clinical experience. Rather than beginning with assumptions about why a previous treatment did or did not help, he evaluates the patient's current presentation—where the pain is occurring, how it behaves, what affects it, and what he finds through examination and palpation.
Sometimes a different way of examining the same problem reveals information that can help guide a different approach to treatment.
If you have been living with pain that continues to interfere with your movement, sleep, work, or everyday life, another perspective may be worth considering.
Some patients come to Gao after having tried physical therapy, chiropractic care, medications, injections, massage, previous acupuncture, or other approaches. Those treatments may have been helpful, partially helpful, or simply not provided the degree of improvement the patient hoped for.
Seeking another perspective does not mean that previous treatment was wrong. It may simply mean that the problem deserves to be looked at differently.
Gao approaches persistent pain through the framework of Traditional Chinese Medicine and more than five decades of hands-on clinical experience. Rather than beginning with assumptions about why a previous treatment did or did not help, he evaluates the patient's current presentation—where the pain is occurring, how it behaves, what affects it, and what he finds through examination and palpation.
Sometimes a different way of examining the same problem reveals information that can help guide a different approach to treatment.
If you have been living with pain that continues to interfere with your movement, sleep, work, or everyday life, another perspective may be worth considering.
Explore Your Pain Concern