How Can Acupuncture Help For Lower Back Pain
When assessing acupuncture treatments for back pain, first it is important to assess which muscles and structure are causing or contributing to your lower back pain. We then use acupuncture to target those areas, relax tight muscles, improve circulation and reduce pain.
The points we generally use will be typically below the elbows and knees so that we know we cant further injure your sore lower back. We do this to make sure you are safe, but also it allows us to check back in and make sure things are improving throughout the treatment. We look for improvements in pain and/or range of motion immediately on the table.
We may also suggest Chinese herbal medicine to help further reduce inflammation and improve circulation, as well as improve sleep and digestion so that your body is healing and recovering better in general.
Our goal is always to get you back on your feet and doing the things you love, as soon as possible.
To find out if Chinese acupuncture might be able to help for your lower back pain, please contact us or book online using the links and information below.
Electroacupuncture For Back Pain
Electroacupuncture includes the application of electrical stimulation to acupuncture needles, and its mostly used when traditional acupuncture or other treatments have failed. However, practitioners sometimes decide to implement this method to deliver more visible results. Electroacupuncture is used to improve the electrical stimulus of specific physiological reactions and produce significant analgesic and anesthetic effects. One of the most prominent advantages of using this technique is the ability to set stimulation frequency and intensity and adapt them to the individuals condition. Recent studies have shown that EA produces greater lower back pain reduction than transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation .
Here Is Some Evidence Regarding The Benefit Of Exercise For Low Back Pain:
Bowden et al explains that physical activity, particularly vigorous activity, is beneficial in helping maintain intervertebral disc health. A review of systematic reviews found the benefit of specific stabilisation exercises for non specific chronic low back pain . Pilates improves pain, function & aspects related to the quality of life in chronic low back pain . Early results of systematic reviews appear promising for the effectiveness of yoga for chronic low back pain . Post-treatment exercise programmes can prevent recurrences of back pain .
Even the NICE guidelines recommend exercises of all forms for back pain!
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Is Acupuncture Effective To Help Or Reduce Back Pain And Is It Safe
Is acupuncture effective to help reduce back pain, and is it safe? is a question some people with back pain ask me. Acupuncture is indeed an effective and safe way to help relieve your back painwhen the treatment is administered by a trained and licensed acupuncturist. It is worth talking to your doctor about trying it for your particular back pain-related symptoms.
Acupuncture has been an integral part of Chinese Medicine for over 4,000 years, although the benefits were slowly discovered in the Western world. Photo Source: Nicole Heuschkel, LAc.
Is Acupuncture Suitable For Pregnant Women With Lower Back Pain
Pregnant women can greatly benefit from the acupressure points we listed above but these are the five acupuncture points to avoid during pregnancy.
If you are looking for acupuncture, we highly recommend seeing a specialist for acupuncture treatments. They will work with you to safely administer acupuncture and give the best advice for acupoints to target.
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Application Of Acupuncture To Treat Low Back Pain
Working adults represent 63% of the population and account for 72% of all low back pain health care visits.1 Low back pain has been identified categorically as acute, subacute, or chronic, depending on the onset, duration, and severity.1,2 Risk factors have included occupational posture, depressive moods, obesity, gender, and age, and risk is most likely affected by a combination of several of these variables.2 Low back pain is not a disease but rather a group of signs and symptoms that affects all age groups across the lifespan. It has been shown to be more common from age 35 to 55, with a higher prevalence in women.2,3
The World Health Organization anticipates that as the world population ages, the incidence of LBP will increase substantially and become 1 of the leading conditions for which the aging population will seek out medical intervention.2
Acupuncture may help improve quality of life as well as reduce lost workplace productivity through more effective and sustained pain relief.4,5 Stimulating nerves located in muscles and other tissues with the application of fine needles may lead to the release of endorphins and other neuro-humoral factors.6 The expected result is a change in pain processing between the brain and spinal cord.
While the evidence for acupuncture remains inconclusive, there are a growing number of studies offering clinical support for the benefits of using acupuncture to address LBP.6-10
Can Acupuncture Help In Treating Lower Back Pain
39 Answers
Elaine Wang Dr. Steve Sterling Jason Gill Zen Tuan Mrs. Izelle Cloete Rebecca Flack George Ku Dr. Hui Gao Rene Ng Snohomish Brown Huan-wen Jonathan Fang Seon Song Kim Yoo Dr. Herbert Kwong yee Lau Alvaro Porras toledo Pai Hsiang Peng Abe Shahabelmolki Jennifer Kolter Dr. Mehrdad Ghaffarian Miss Amy Rose Gendron Richard S. Mandell Natalie E. Ramsey Ms. Larissa Gay Stewart Caitria Thiele Ms. Ellen D. Leonard Zhen Hu Holly M. Green Phranque Wright Sarah E. Sanger Jeff Rippey Daisy Dong Young Suk Seo WenShuo Wu Rosemarie Allen Dr. Hongjie Zhu James Nicholas Georgiades Andrea Cillo Dr. Dongmei Liu Covyn Montemayor
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Acupuncture For Lower Back Pain What The Science Says
Acupuncture for lower back pain does it really work? If youve been sedentary for so long or worked at a job that requires you to sit for long hours, then you know this to be true:
Backaches can be a total pain.
And were not talking about the kind of discomfort that subsides after taking a pain medication. Were talking about the kind of soreness that
keeps you awake at night.
makes you unproductive at work because you cant concentrate.
turns your life into a miserable mess.
So if youve been suffering from back pain, then you must have tried pretty much every conventional treatment available, right?
Pain medications, physical therapy, cortisone injections, and in serious cases, spinal surgerythese are some methods that treat back pain caused by lifestyle and injury.
But like most treatments, they work up to a certain extent only. And if the pain persists after going through the conventional treatments available, what do you do?
Repeat Sessions Required For Best Results
Acupuncture doesnt work on a single-use basis like injections or some medications. The best way to get the most out of acupuncture is to schedule regular sessions. This may not be an issue for people who have the time or the money to visit an acupuncturist, but it can be a limiting factor for others who dont have that kind of access.
The benefits also dont stay for long. Because the body can heal itself, the changes made by the needles need to be reapplied for results to stick. Further complicating this is that the benefits of long-term acupuncture have not been fully studied yet, so theres the possibility that there are other side effects that may arise from long-term use.
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How To Get Acupuncture For Back Pain
If you want to try acupuncture for relief from back pain, you may want to talk to your regular doctor first. Make sure to discuss whether acupuncture would be best for you.
There is also the question of cost. A single session can range from about $60 to $130, and many health insurance plans do not cover it.
Before setting up an appointment, also make sure that you contact a professional licensed in your state. An acupuncturist should have proper training, licensing, and certification to administer safe treatments. Each state has a board of health that monitors and registers acupuncture practices.
There are ways to use the internet to find a qualified and certified acupuncturist in your area. One way is check the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine directory.
However, keep in mind that one acupuncture treatment does not provide a cure for back pain. While relief is reportedly successful, its likely youll need long-term treatment. Acupuncture commonly takes numerous treatments over time for the best outcome.
Even if your first session was successful, expect to schedule more appointments. Also, expect that pain can and does usually return. If it does, youll have to schedule another series of sessions.
Most people may invest in a weekly session until they experience improvement. Afterward, they start scheduling sessions further apart, such as every other week, then monthly.
Reasons To Consider Acupuncture For Back Pain Relief
According to WebMD, back pain is one of the top reasons people seek medical treatment, and it is also the number one reported rationale for undergoing acupuncture. For many people, back pain can be so excruciating that it prevents them from performing everyday duties. Anyone considering acupuncture treatment to reduce or even get rid of back pain should consider the facts about this alternative treatment.
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What Are Complementary & Alternative Therapies
Since acupuncture is a non-drug treatment, you can combine it with other safe therapies such as laser light therapy, heat therapy, or massage. Since you do not have to have a surgical procedure or take time to heal like after an invasive treatment, you can also complete your acupuncture sessions while you stay on track with your exercise plan.
Our Curavi light therapy belts are an excellent complementary therapy for acupuncture because they have no known adverse side effects and do not require the use of prescription medication. They are also safe enough to use with a variety of other non-surgical, non-pharmaceutical back pain treatments. Each device uses an innovative technology known as photobiomodulation therapy , formerly often referred to as low-level laser therapy for treating pain.
By wearing one of our three laser therapy belts for only 30 minutes per day, the medical-grade laser diodes will work to modulate pain and inflammation in your lower back, thereby reducing tension, tightness, and swelling. Choose from the CuraviUltra, which provides up to 420 mW of medical-grade laser light, the CuraviPlus, offering 800 mW of excellent coverage, and our premier device, the CuraviPro, providing you with 1000 mW of professional-grade coverage to relieve mild to moderate aches, spasms, and inflammation.
What Are The Risks
The chances that acupuncture will harm you are very low. Thatâs one of the reasons doctors say itâs OK to try it even though thereâs sometimes limited proof that it helps arthritis.
Make sure your practitioner uses new, sterile needles for each client, so thereâs a lower chance of infection. Some people bruise or feel sore later at the spot where the needles went in.
Some people should be more cautious before they get acupuncture. Ask your doctor about it if you:
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Are There Risks To Acupuncture For Back Pain
Some treatments for back pain come with risks or side effects. If you have back pain and are in relatively good health, you are probably a candidate for acupuncture. While relatively few adverse effects have been reported, it is possible to suffer injury from improper delivery of needles or non-sterile equipment. By choosing a reputable acupuncturist certified by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine , you can ensure that you are receiving safe, hygienic therapy.
The risk of complications during acupuncture increases if you have a bleeding disorder or are taking blood thinners. If you have a pacemaker, avoid treatments that apply electrical pulses to the needles. This can interfere with your devices operation. Finally, talk to your OB/GYN if you are pregnant. Your doctor will most likely recommend that you reserve acupuncture for the pre-labor stage of delivery when you are almost ready to have your baby.
Recommendations For Future Research
Some fundamental clinical questions remain for future studies. For each of these conditions, we currently lack information on how many acupuncture treatments need to be provided over what time frame for optimal therapeutic effects. By having this information, we would be able to focus future reviews on those studies that actually provided sufficient treatment. While these conditions are chronic, most studies of acupuncture have lacked follow-up more than several months post-treatment. Longer term follow-up is critical to more completely understand acupunctureâs role in the treatment of these pain conditions. Even though a number of outcomes are important for each of these conditions , most published studies have focused on a small number of outcomes. Future studies are encouraged to measure the full range of appropriate outcomes for each of these conditions. Some important questions, such as whether acupuncture is more effective among those with more severe pain or among other sub-groups of patients, probably require individual patient level data for meta-analyses using the largest studies. Finally, acupuncture is often delivered as part of a package of care. Some studies should compare a package containing acupuncture with other evidence-based packages to see which, if any, are superior.
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Getting Started With Acupuncture
Now that you know more about acupuncture for pain relief, you may be interested in searching for an acupuncturist. Find a professional in your area by visiting the NCCAOM website. After you locate a few practitioners close to you, research their background and qualifications. When you make your choice, you can visit them for an introductory consultation.
Before your practitioner uses needles on your body, they will ask questions about where you are experiencing pain, as well as any other medical or wellness issues that you are having. They will also want to learn more about lifestyle choices, such as your diet and exercise routine, to determine if any other factors are impacting how you feel.
Once you and your acupuncturist review this information, they can create a customized treatment plan for your lower back pain. You will then begin your acupuncture sessions. To make each appointment more comfortable, wear loose-fitting clothing, hydrate beforehand, and take deep breaths throughout your treatment. This will help you to relax both your mind and body.
Stick with your acupuncturist for several sessions to gauge your symptoms and progress. Some people may notice that your benefits increase as you attend appointments, while others will notice relief almost immediately. No matter what your unique experience is, acupuncture can help you to find relief from your discomfort.
Acupuncture For Lower Back Pain Show More Pain Relief Better Quality Of Life And Disability Recovery
Acupuncture was found to be effective in providing symptomatic relief of chronic low back pain in the meta-analysis of 13 randomized controlled trials. The 2,678 patients experienced better pain relief, disability recovery and quality of life compared to not having any treatment at all.22.Xu M, e. . Acupuncture for chronic low back pain in long-term follow-up: a meta-analysis of 13 randomized controlled trials. – PubMed – NCBI. Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23336503 .×
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What Are The Acupuncture Points For Back Pain
The acupuncture points for back pain that are mainly focused on by practitioners are
- Points on the hands
These points are responsible for maintaining a balance of the nervous system. Any hindrance caused during the flow of energy resulting in an improper imbalance could cause pain. Acupuncture for lower back pain is carried out by focusing the acupoints present at the lower back of your body.
The points present at the upper back of the body are also used as a remedy for various other aching problems, such as fibromyalgia, sciatica, temporomandibular joint disorder , etc. Acupuncture is also followed separately to get over with sciatica, by following acupuncture for back pain sciatica.
Potent Acupressure Points For Lower Back Pain That Save My Day
Lower back pain is something that millions of people, myself included, suffer from around the world. I personally experience low back pain after many activities: sitting too long, standing too long, walking too far, etc. Its chronic pain that Ive suffered from for since I can remember. Ive played many sports in my life such as tennis, horseback riding, and running. Not only would my performance in sports be decreased from my lower back pain, but sometimes the sports would make the pain worse. Then sitting at a desk all day for work or school would only make the pain increase. I had to stop playing sports. Not being able to engage in physical activity that I love made me feel depressed. Thankfully, acupressure points for lower back pain have helped me immensely and they could help you too. When I started regularly stimulating these acupoints, my lower back pain improved immensely, allowing me to participate in all the activities I love pain-free.
Acupressure is a practice from Traditional Chinese Medicine that uses the fingers and hands to target pressure points throughout the body. Pressure points lay on meridians, each meridian associated with one of the major organs of the body. The meridians carry qi, or energy, through the body. Stimulating acupoints will promote the movement of qi in the body and promote healing for almost every ailment, including back pain.
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