Dr. Trent Dolman (Acupuncture)

Registered acupuncturist · BHSc (Acu) · Brisbane. Treating pain, injuries and athletes. Posting new research, habits and what actually helps pain.

[Dr. Trent Dolman (Acupuncture) @TrentMatthewD]

Start here 👋

I'm Trent Dolman, an AHPRA-registered acupuncturist (since 2019) in Brisbane. I work with sports and orthopaedic injuries and acute and persistent pain, using acupuncture, remedial massage and movement-based rehab.

What this account covers 🧵

[Dr. Trent Dolman (Acupuncture) @TrentMatthewD]

Clinic note: people often ask what to do between sessions.

My boring answer: a regular bedtime, a short daily walk, and less phone scrolling in bed.

Chinese medicine calls everyday self-care yǎngshēng (养生) — nourishing life. Small repeats beat heroic one-offs.

[Dr. Trent Dolman (Acupuncture) @TrentMatthewD]

@cricketcomau Opening, you know exactly when you're in, but at five you can be padded up for hours. Keen to hear how he handles the waiting around, because that'd be half the battle.

[Dr. Trent Dolman (Acupuncture) @TrentMatthewD]

@IASPpain Congrats Dr Adorador. Regional areas are usually where the gaps in pain and palliative care are biggest, so it's great to see that work backed. All the best back in Iloilo.

[Dr. Trent Dolman (Acupuncture) @TrentMatthewD]

@DiaryofaSickGrl A cold flattens most people for a week and everyone gets it. Living with EDS and POTS, that's pretty much my normal, so a bit of the same patience goes a long way.

[Dr. Trent Dolman (Acupuncture) @TrentMatthewD]

@tomgoom 99% is a great number to have in your back pocket. Plenty of people stop squatting or kneeling because of the crunching, so knowing the noise on its own is common may help take some of the fear out of it.

[Dr. Trent Dolman (Acupuncture) @TrentMatthewD]

@hjluks Same conversation comes up a lot in my clinic. Explaining that some discomfort during loading can be expected, and agreeing on what level is okay, may help people stick with rehab instead of stopping at the first twinge.

[Dr. Trent Dolman (Acupuncture) @TrentMatthewD]

If you've spent years being told your pain is 'nothing', keep asking questions. A diagnosis didn't fix me, but it helped me understand me.

[Dr. Trent Dolman (Acupuncture) @TrentMatthewD]

Halfway through a busy clinic day I still catch myself holding my breath between patients.

One habit that helps: exhale fully before the next consult. Sounds trivial. It isn't.

[Dr. Trent Dolman (Acupuncture) @TrentMatthewD]

Practical takeaway: protect, don't panic. Keep gentle movement if you can.

Cochrane review: stay-active advice beat bed rest for acute low back pain (small gains). Sciatica: little difference either way.

General info, not personal advice.
https://t.co/Ziy9IUqNWv

[Dr. Trent Dolman (Acupuncture) @TrentMatthewD]

Pain scientist Lorimer Moseley put it plainly in 2007: pain does not measure the state of the tissues. It is shaped by many factors (body, stress, sleep, beliefs), and the link to tissue state gets weaker the longer pain persists.

[Dr. Trent Dolman (Acupuncture) @TrentMatthewD]

That doesn't mean the pain isn't real, or that you should ignore red flags (fever, unexplained weight loss, blunt trauma, progressive weakness, bowel/bladder changes). Get those checked.

For everyday back flares, pain often outruns the tissue story.

[Dr. Trent Dolman (Acupuncture) @TrentMatthewD]

Myth: "If it hurts, something must be damaged."

Evidence: pain is a protective signal. It does not give a reliable readout of tissue damage — especially once pain has stuck around. 🧵

[Dr. Trent Dolman (Acupuncture) @TrentMatthewD]

Compression doesn't fix EDS or POTS. But at work, my medical-grade tights stop the blood pooling in my legs while I stand. And feeling held together brings a comfort I can't really explain.

[Dr. Trent Dolman (Acupuncture) @TrentMatthewD]

May help manage disability alongside usual care. Not a replacement for staying active.

Paper: https://t.co/LvEyZKjI3A
General info, not personal advice.

[Dr. Trent Dolman (Acupuncture) @TrentMatthewD]

New study 🧵

Does acupuncture help older adults with chronic low back pain?

A 2025 US trial (BackInAction, JAMA Network Open) randomised 800 people aged 65+.

What it found, what it didn't. #AcuEvidenceWeekly

[Dr. Trent Dolman (Acupuncture) @TrentMatthewD]

Share with ≥30% better disability at 6 months: usual care 29.4%, standard acupuncture 39.1%, plus maintenance 43.8%.

Caveats: no sham, self-reported outcomes, US adults 65+ only. Effect is modest.

[Dr. Trent Dolman (Acupuncture) @TrentMatthewD]

@ThePOTSPostman Keep on sharing! Sometimes we need to hear this one for ourselves too.

[Dr. Trent Dolman (Acupuncture) @TrentMatthewD]

Pain flare tip: aim for less, not none.

Cut the load, shorten the session, slow the pace. Complete rest often makes the next day harder.

Move gently, stop if pain spikes sharply or spreads. That's pacing, not giving up.