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Acupuncture to Treat Back Pain
Back pain is by far the most common reason people seek a health care
practitioner, with 80% of the worlds population reporting back pain at
least once in their lives. In the
The main causes of back pain come from strains (tears in muscles caused by
sudden force), sprains (overstretching one or more ligaments in the back),
herniated disks (a disc that bulges out of its normal place between two
vertebrae, putting pressure on nerves) and sciatica (term that describes
pain extending from the low back down into the buttocks and leg due to
irritation of a larger nerve in the spine). These can happen from injuries,
improper lifting, poor posture, weakening of supporting muscles and
ligaments and degenerative changes.
How Does Acupuncture help back pain?
Acupuncture is best known for its ability to stop pain in general. It is
effective in treating both acute and chronic back pain because it lessens
the pain response locally as it relaxes nearby muscles. A negative pain
cycle is broken when muscle spasms stop, adjacent muscle groups no longer
compensate, range of motion then increases as the pain levels decrease.
Acupuncture accomplishes this by:
relax muscles: which slows spasms until they release
decrease local inflammation by increasing local blood circulation
reduce swelling
stimulates the release of natural endorphins that diminish the pain response
When to get Acupuncture
Acute Back Pain
In an acute situation, you need to first determine how severe the injury is.
If it is serious, or you are unsure, call 911 or go straight to the nearest
hospital for proper evaluation. If the acute back pain is not that severe,
the sooner you receive acupuncture treatments, the better the results. The
reason is simple: it boosts the bodys natural healing mechanisms while
inhibiting negative pain cycles from ever starting. This enables acupuncture
to drastically reduce recovery time and stop injuries from becoming chronic.
Chronic Back Pain
Back pain that continues or lingers more than 3 months becomes chronic. It
is important to know why the pain is there. Narrowing of the spine or a
tumor pressing on lumbar spinal nerves is a medical emergency. Therefore it
is recommended to receive a complete Western medical evaluation and
diagnosis, including x-rays and MRIs when necessary.
Chronic back pain that has been properly evaluated, and that does not
respond to conventional treatments, almost always improves with acupuncture
treatments. It does not matter how long the pain has persisted, acupuncture
can still provide noticeable positive improvements, if not complete
resolution of the back pain. And this is accomplished without the use of any
over-the-counter medications or pharmaceuticals.
How Many Treatments Will I need?
Acupuncture treatments are specifically tailored to each individual
depending on age, gender, lifestyle, past medical history and current health
status. This guarantees a treatment plan that meets each persons exact
needs, but makes it more difficult to generalize overall responses. Even so,
it is safe to say that acute back pain is usually successfully treated in 2
to 5 treatments over a 1 to 3 week period.
It is more difficult to generalize the length of treatment for chronic back
pain because medications, prolonged inactivity, low morale & surgeries
complicate treatment. Regardless, a person should notice a positive change
in his/her back pain within 8 to 10 treatments over 1 to 3 months. Then an
accurate prognosis for complete resolution of the pain can be given
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