Acupuncture for Back Pain: Which Problems Can It Help and How?
If you are ready to ditch temporary pain relief and ongoing mobility struggles from your chronic back issues, you may be considering acupuncture for back pain. Acupuncture has proven to help many conditions – both chronic and acute – and we have helped many clients recover from various back issues.
Common Back Issues Acupuncture Can Help Heal
Sciatic Nerve Pain
Typically caused by an intrusion of your sciatic nerve in your lower back, sciatic nerve pain (sciatica) usually radiates from your lower back or buttocks down one side of your body and leg. A shooting, sharp pain can make it difficult to stand for long or you may experience pain in your buttocks that becomes worse when you sit. You may also feel a burning or tingling down one leg. It can be very debilitating.
Disc Herniation
If you have a herniated disc, one of your spinal discs has ruptured, allowing some of the softer inner cartilage to protrude out of your disc. This may have been caused by a bulging disc that’s been left untreated or a traumatic injury, but more often than not, it is the result of aging and natural degradation of your discs. With a herniated disc, you may have difficulty lifting or holding items. Depending on location in your spine, you may also suffer with leg or arm pain, tingling or numbness.
Scoliosis
Scoliosis is a sideways curvature of the spine that affects around 6 million people in the United States, according to this article (link to https://healthfully.com/546539-acupuncture-for-scoliosis.html). If you have scoliosis, your spine looks more like a “C” or “S” instead of being straight. Consequently, you might have uneven hips or shoulders, which can cause pain in your lower back. If you sit or stand for too long, you may become fatigued. It can even hinder your breathing.
Spinal Fusions
Spinal fusion is a surgery in which your surgeon inserts bone or a bone-like material in the space between two spinal vertebrae, using metal plates, screws or rods to keep them in place so they can heal into one solid unit. This mimics your body’s natural healing process. Spinal fusions are an option to help correct a herniated disc, scoliosis or another spinal weakness. However, these surgeries require several months of healing and sometimes years laters, clients will suffer pain in the area of surgery.
Spinal Stenosis
Spinal stenosis occurs when narrowing of the spaces within your spine lead to pressure on the nerves that travel through your backbone. You typically experience pain, tingling, numbness or muscle weakness in your lower back and neck that can worsen over time.
Lifestyle Changes That Can Help Reduce Your Back Pain
More and more research has proven how healthier lifestyle choices can impact your health and wellness in countless ways. These healthier habits can certainly help relieve your back pain, too. Just a few of these include:
Practicing good posture
Maintaining a healthy weight
Exercising regularly
Not smoking
Limited alcohol
Eating anti-inflammatory superfoods (link to https://drhyman.com/blog/2016/08/12/my-favorite-5-superfoods-belong-in-your-diet/)
While these choices will help, acupuncture from a professional will not only help alleviate your inflammation and pain, but will also help your body heal.
How Acupuncture for Back Pain Works
Granted, there is no cure for scoliosis, but acupuncture has proven to reduce symptoms. Acupuncture has also helped relieve and even reverse these other chronic back issues for many of my clients.
How does it work?
It sounds simple, but acupuncture helps remedy your back issues and pain by:
Increasing your blood flow to the place of injury or pain,
Relaxing your surrounding muscles,
Reducing the compression, triggering your body to release endorphins and decreasing your pain,
Slowing down the degeneration process, and
Allowing your body to recover more rapidly.
When you begin treatment at Wheeler Acupuncture & Functional Wellness, you will receive full attention to your whole health picture and a suggested treatment plan that I monitor as we go.
So first, you will schedule a new patient consultation.
Next during your consultation, you will receive private time with me to review your health history and any previous diagnostic reports. Then if I can help, we will create a treatment plan together that includes treatment frequency and costs.
Then, you can begin treatment and start your path to recovery!
You can:
get rid of your medications and the unpredictable ups and downs due to flare-ups.
eventually stop taking those medications.
keep pain at bay while you reverse or reduce your chronic back issue or pain.
Then you can enjoy feeling well again.
Get back to the gym. Play with your kids. Travel freely. Live your life!
Are you ready to see if acupuncture can help you? We invite you to follow this link to schedule a new patient consultation (link to https://wheelerwellness.intakeq.com/booking)!
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