Over the last 2 to 3 years I’ve suffered from bouts of sciatica. Mainly caused by lifting and long periods of driving, but I’ve always managed to self treat with exercise and pain relief. This all changed whilst carrying a large item, as I twisted, my back went into spasm and I collapsed to the floor with pain that I’ve never experienced before, unbearable shooting pains in my lower back that left me requiring an ambulance and overnight stay in hospital on morphine.

As the ‘cure’ for sciatica is painkillers and movement, I was prescribed a caseload of drugs and sent on my way. Although able to move, lying and sitting down was only manageable for a 30 minutes max. The painkillers were having little effect and I didn’t like the idea of taking 17 tablets a day. My parents had been seeing Hannah for acupuncture for a number of years for a number reasons but one being sciatica. They always raved about the success they have had with it, on the back of this they booked me in straight away.

So 48 hours later from being in an ambulance I walked into Hannah’s treatment room. A very relaxing environment with an aroma of essential oils. The treatment lasted 45 mins with an introduction meeting at the start in which Hannah went through my condition to understand my pain level and areas that were causing the most discomfort. The area of focus was of course on my lower back and my sciatic nerve running down my legs. The acupuncture needles were placed into the areas effected painlessly.

It’s a nice sensation to feel the muscles release tension as the needles are positioned. There was no miracle cure and I wasn’t expecting one after 1 treatment, I had another session the next day and then the following day as well. Each time my back felt a little better and more supple. Another session a few days later meant I was able to reduce my painkiller dosage to virtually nothing.

Each session Hannah went through how I was coping and feeling with the pain and discomfort, understanding my needs and tailoring my treatment to suit. After several more sessions over the next 3 weeks I was back to 90%, This coupled with exercise to work unison with acupuncture meant I was confident in my back again and felt able to get to normal work and life. I felt the acupuncture helped reduce my pain and heal my damaged lower back quicker than relying on prescribed medicine

Hannah was a true professional from start to finish and I felt confident in her knowledge and skills.