David Childress, 41, says he has dealt with back pain his entire adult life.

"From the time I was 18, I experienced back pain and muscle spasms,” he says, adding that it was a genetic problem endured by his dad and his aunt as well. "I underwent two spinal fusions as well as several smaller surgeries and even had a spinal cord stimulator implanted to try to alleviate the pain, but these were insufficient.

"With a profession in medical device sales, I do a lot of driving and stand all day. Back problems make things much tougher.”

It all changed when Childress scheduled an appointment to see his UC Health family and community physician, Manoj Singh, MD.

"During that appointment I found out about integrative medicine services being offered in West Chester, and specifically, I found out about Martyn’s acupuncture,” he says. "It was my last hope at relief.”

Martyn Thomas is a licensed acupuncturist who sees patients at the UC Health Physicians Office South in West Chester and the Barrett Center in Clifton.

Childress says that in just one session with Thomas, he felt a tremendous difference.

"Martyn focuses mostly on my legs, as I have a lot of pain in that area,” he says. "Before the first session, I walked in hunched over and limping—my back was tight and knotted. I walked out after that session upright and thanking Martyn for helping me.”

Childress says he began going for acupuncture every week, but treatments were so effective that visits were reduced to every two weeks, and now he sees Martyn once a month.

"I was a skeptic,” he admits, "but I was proven wrong. Acupuncture was the last thing on my list, and I wish it had been the first. It was life-changing.”

Now, Childress says he’s able to do things he wasn’t able to do before—exercise, yard work  and most importantly spending active time with his family—without worrying about his back locking up.

"My advice for others who are experiencing back problems: Don’t wait as long as I did,” he says. "It’s worth investigating. It’s important to find someone who has expertise and knowledge in acupuncture like Martyn does. He knows what he’s doing, and he’s good at what he does. He made a believer out of me.”