When a busy runner came to see us for treatment he was desperate for our physiotherapists to work their magic, having been off work with a migraine for more than four weeks.

Darren Wood had seen three doctors and a neurologist, who all provided him with different medication. He contacted the clinic to see if acupuncture would help, and was informed that it would, and, after the first appointment, he said he "felt the best I have done in over a month - the searing headache went after 20 minutes rather than the two and hours for the medication to work!"

What symptoms did our physiotherapist, Jenny Blizard, find Darren was suffering with when he first came to the clinic?

Darren came with an acute onset of nausea, dizziness, visual disturbances, right sided facial and eye pain and weakness in his right arm. This seemed to be exacerbated by running.

What was discovered in the examination?

It was noted that Darren's neck movements were pretty mobile, given the pain and discomfort he was experiencing.

On gentle palpation of his upper neck joints C3/4 on the right side, the facial pain, nausea and eye pains were reproduced.

His sternocleidomastoid muscles were tender on palpation and also produced some discomfort, as did his trapezius muscle.

Upon further examination, where was the pain originating?

The source of his pain was arising from the nerve supply which surround these joints and have links with the trigeminal nerve (which is the nerve that supplies the head and face).

However, Darren's symptoms were too acute to treat the joints initially, and an exacerbation of an already acute problem could have been produced.

What treatment was chosen in this instance, and why?

In this situation, acupuncture was extremely effective in settling the symptoms prior to mobilising the irritated joints.

Acupuncture points are known to provide a calming effect on the central nervous system as well as utilising points in the feet along the gall bladder meridian, which is well known in traditional chinese medicine to alleviate pain associated with the head.

In later sessions, we used points in the sternocleidomastoid and trapezius muscles which are also known to produce exactly the same symptoms Darren was experiencing.

How effective was acupuncture in treating Darren?

The acupuncture sessions settled Darren's symptoms very quickly. We were then able to mobilise the stiff joints in the neck which were irritating the nerves that supply the head and neck as well as the trapezius and sternocleidomastiod muscles.

What exercises was Darren given to perform at home?

Darren was given instructions on how to perform self-mobilisations of the neck joints to alleviate his own symptoms should he have a flare up. He was also given neck postural exercises to perform, which is likely to be the underlying cause of all his pain.

Happily, after his last session, Darren was symptom-free and resumed gentle running.

He was understandably over the moon following his successful treatment, saying: "I can't recommend Jenny enough - if you know of anyone who suffers from migraines, even if they are not suffering at present, they need to book in for acupuncture. I'll not be going back to the doctors again."