Poke Acupuncture

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Poke Acupuncture Hip Bursitis, Shoulder Pain, Plantar Fasciitis, Neck Pain, Sciatica, Fertility, Pregnancy Support Thanks for visiting. Lani & Ryan

Owner's Bio:
We met during our training in Canada almost 10 years ago and have returned to Newcastle, Lani’s hometown, bringing Poke Acupuncture to life. We both practice Acupuncture and Chinese Herbal Medicine, and we do our best to live the healthy lifestyle we encourage others to live. But, we are also human, and you may catch us enjoying the odd icecream at the beach on a hot, sunny day with our sweet daughter. We are passionate about what we do: the wonders and weirdness of Acupuncture; the beauty and potency of Chinese Herbs; the curiosity and magic of Cupping. Our clinic is a place you can come to to relax and have your condition treated in a private, cosy environment. We will assess you and provide our best opinion on your course of treatment, provide you with Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine services, as well as offer you remedies from our well-stocked, raw, Chinese herb pharmacy and ready-made prescriptions. Please join our page as we will share with you our thoughts on living a healthy, balanced lifestyle, facts and pics about Acupuncture, Chinese Herbs and health, newsy updates from our clinic and info from our contacts in the wonderful community of Newcastle.

Your shoulder hurts… but why does the pain travel down your arm? 🤔You may have felt this before.Your shoulder hurts, but...
10/09/2026

Your shoulder hurts… but why does the pain travel down your arm? 🤔

You may have felt this before.

Your shoulder hurts, but the pain seems to run down the outside of your upper arm.

Sometimes it can even feel like the problem is in your arm.

👉 But the arm may not be the problem at all.

This can happen with conditions such as supraspinatus tendon pain and shoulder bursitis.

The reason is simple…

🧠 Your shoulder and upper arm share some of the same nerve pathways.

When the tissues around your shoulder become irritated, your brain can sometimes "feel" the pain further down your arm.

This is called referred pain.

That's why shoulder problems can cause:

🔹 An ache down the outside of the arm
🔹 Pain when reaching or lifting
🔹 Pain when lying on your shoulder
🔹 Pain that wakes you during the night
🔹 A deep, nagging ache that just won't seem to go away

Here's the important part:

📍 Where you feel the pain isn't always where the problem is.

So if your upper arm hurts, simply treating the arm may not solve the problem.

Sometimes, you need to find out what is actually driving the pain.

If your shoulder pain is stopping you from sleeping, exercising or doing the things you enjoy, we'd be happy to help.

“I can’t even put my socks on without my back hurting.” 😩If that sounds familiar, you’re definitely not alone. ❤️Maybe y...
01/09/2026

“I can’t even put my socks on without my back hurting.” 😩

If that sounds familiar, you’re definitely not alone. ❤️

Maybe you’ve noticed that simple things have suddenly become difficult.

Putting your socks or shoes on. 🧦
Getting your foot up to tie your laces. 👟
Getting in and out of the car. 🚗
Bending down to pick something up.

And you might be thinking:

“Why is my back so tight?”
“Why does my glute feel like it’s constantly tense?”
“Why does stretching help for a little while, but then it comes straight back?” 🤔

You may even have been told you have a “tight back muscle” or “tight glute” and have tried stretching, massage, foam rolling or releasing the area over and over again.

But what if the tightness isn’t the main problem? 👀

When you bring your foot up to put on a sock, your hip needs to flex and rotate while your pelvis and lower back help control the movement.

If your hip isn’t moving well, your body can start compensating.

You might twist your pelvis, hike your hip, lean sideways or move more through your lower back.

Your low back and glute muscles can then end up working overtime to keep everything stable.

And that can leave you with that familiar feeling of:

“My lower back and upper buttock are constantly tight.” 😣

The frustrating part is that you can massage and stretch those muscles and feel better temporarily… only for the tightness to come straight back. 🔄

That’s because sometimes the question isn’t:

“How do I loosen this tight muscle?”

It’s:

“Why does this muscle feel like it has to work so hard in the first place?” 💡

If you’re struggling with back pain, glute tightness and everyday movements like putting on your socks or shoes, it may be worth looking at the whole hip–pelvis–lower back relationship, rather than just treating the spot that hurts.

Because when something as simple as putting on a sock becomes difficult, your body is telling you that something needs attention. ❤️

Why Does Sciatica Pain Happen? 😟⚡Sciatica isn't just basic back discomfort—it's a progressive chain reaction that occurs...
04/08/2026

Why Does Sciatica Pain Happen? 😟⚡

Sciatica isn't just basic back discomfort—it's a progressive chain reaction that occurs when the body's largest nerve becomes pinched or inflamed!

The Progression of Sciatic Pain:

1. Initial Strain or Tear: Begins with a muscle injury, tear, or reduced disc height (L1–L5) that weakens support along the lumbar spine.

2. Disc Herniation: Structural changes lead to a herniated disc (commonly at L4–L5), protruding outward toward the spinal canal.

3. Nerve Compression & Irritation: The herniation pinches the sciatic nerve root, causing localized nerve inflammation and severe muscle spasms or tightness around the piriformis muscle.

4. Radiating Pain Pathway: Pain travels down through the pelvis and sacrum, following the sciatic nerve pathway all the way down the leg to the foot.

Don't Ignore the Signals:

Understanding how nerve compression develops helps you address symptoms before pain worsens.

02/08/2026

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

Piriformis Syndrome vs. Sciatica – Do You Know the Difference? 🤔Many people assume that pain running down the leg is alw...
30/07/2026

Piriformis Syndrome vs. Sciatica – Do You Know the Difference? 🤔

Many people assume that pain running down the leg is always sciatica. Surprisingly, in our clinic we actually see piriformis syndrome more often than true sciatica.

The piriformis is a small muscle deep in the buttock that can irritate or compress the sciatic nerve, causing symptoms that closely mimic sciatica—including:

🔹 Buttock pain or aching
🔹 Pain that worsens with sitting
🔹 Pain with certain hip movements
🔹 Tenderness deep in the buttock
🔹 Pain, tingling, or numbness that travels down the leg

The key difference? True sciatica is usually caused by irritation or compression of the nerve in the lower back, while piriformis syndrome originates in the hip and buttock region.

Getting the correct diagnosis is important because the treatment approach can be very different.

If you've been struggling with persistent buttock pain or "sciatica" that isn't improving, we'd be happy to assess what's really causing your symptoms and develop the right treatment plan.

Do you have neck pain that travels down your arm? Let’s understand the neurological roadmap. 🌡️🌏​If you’re experiencing ...
28/07/2026

Do you have neck pain that travels down your arm?

Let’s understand the neurological roadmap. 🌡️🌏

​If you’re experiencing numbness, tingling, or a shooting ache in your hand, the root cause might actually be in your neck.

Knowing where the compression is helps us understand why you feel the pain elsewhere.

​The 'Neural Pain Map' Breakdown:

This infographic illustrates how spine issues in the neck affect the nerves that supply your arm:

​- Disc Bulge (C3-C4): Pressure on the spinal cord or nerve roots.
- ​Nerve Root Irritation (C4-C5): Inflammation of the nerve exiting the spine.
​- Foraminal Narrowing (C5-C6): A tightening of the bony tunnel for the nerve.

🔹 Shoulder Pain Holding You Back?Can you lift your arms above your head without pain?👉 Reaching into a cupboard👉 Putting...
25/06/2026

🔹 Shoulder Pain Holding You Back?

Can you lift your arms above your head without pain?

👉 Reaching into a cupboard
👉 Putting on a shirt or jacket
👉 Brushing or washing your hair

If these everyday movements cause pain, stiffness, weakness, or discomfort, it could be a sign that your shoulder needs attention.

💡 The good news is that many shoulder problems respond well to the right treatment and advice.

📞 Get in touch today to book an assessment and find out what's causing your shoulder pain.

Why Your “Leg Pain” Isn’t Actually a Leg ProblemPain in your:➡ Buttock➡ Thigh➡ Calf…can all come from one irritated nerv...
18/06/2026

Why Your “Leg Pain” Isn’t Actually a Leg Problem

Pain in your:
➡ Buttock
➡ Thigh
➡ Calf

…can all come from one irritated nerve in your back.

That’s why:
❌ Stretching the leg doesn’t always help
❌ Massage gives only short relief
💡 The nerve needs to be calmed at the source.

Good news?
When treated properly, this type of pain can improve faster than you think.

YOUR ARM IS NOT “ASLEEP”… YOUR NERVE IS BEING COMPRESSED WHILE YOU SLEEPIf you wake up in the middle of the night and yo...
05/05/2026

YOUR ARM IS NOT “ASLEEP”… YOUR NERVE IS BEING COMPRESSED WHILE YOU SLEEP

If you wake up in the middle of the night and your arm feels numb, heavy, or completely “dead,” it might seem like a circulation problem. But in most cases, that’s not what’s happening.

The real cause is usually nerve compression.

When you sleep in certain positions—especially with your arm under your head or your shoulder rotated forward—you create pressure around the nerves that travel from your neck into your arm. These nerves form what’s called the brachial plexus.
When that pathway is compressed, the signal between your brain and your arm gets disrupted. That’s what creates the numbness, tingling, and “pins and needles” feeling.

That’s also why the sensation disappears quickly when you change position. The moment the pressure is removed, the signal returns.

This is not a blood flow issue.

It’s a temporary nerve signal block caused by sleep position.

Taiwanese researchers discovered acupuncture triggering stem cell release healing damaged organs naturally. Scientists a...
13/04/2026

Taiwanese researchers discovered acupuncture triggering stem cell release healing damaged organs naturally. Scientists at China Medical University found that electroacupuncture at specific meridian points stimulates bone marrow to release mesenchymal stem cells into circulation, which then migrate to injured organs and promote tissue repair. This mechanism explains acupuncture's therapeutic effects through measurable biological processes rather than placebo.

Address

113 Bridge Street
Port Macquarie, NSW
2444

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5am
Tuesday 9am - 3am
Wednesday 9am - 5am
Thursday 10am - 5am
Friday 9am - 2pm

Telephone

+61255900232

Website

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