Those who experience back pain and lower back pain understand how debilitating this type of pain can be. Pain being experienced in this part of the body can make everyday tasks nearly impossible. And, unfortunately, many people who experience this type of pain may try many types of treatments to no avail – not getting the relief they need that’s crucial to going about daily life. Fortunately, for those who haven’t tried acupuncture for back pain, there may be relief in this method of treatment.
If you’re wondering if acupuncture for back pain is right for you or if you’re a good candidate for this type of therapy to treat back pain, Dr. Tony and the staff at Acupuncture Zen can help you understand more about this option for pain relief. Contact us to find out more about how using acupuncture for back pain relief may benefit you and your lifestyle.
Back pain is pain felt in the back that usually originates from the muscles, nerves, bones, joints, or other structures in the spine. Back pain may have a sudden onset or can be a chronic pain; it can be constant or intermittent, stay in one place or radiate to other areas. It may be a dull ache, a sharp or piercing, or a burning sensation. The pain may radiate into the arms and hands as well as the legs or feet and may include symptoms other than pain, such as weakness, numbness, or tingling.
The spine is a complex interconnecting network of nerves, joints, muscles, tendons, and ligaments, and all are capable of producing pain. Large nerves that originate in the spine and go to the legs and arms can make pain radiate to the extremities.
Back pain is one of humanity’s most frequent complaints. In the U.S., acute low back pain (also called lumbago) is the fifth most common reason for physician visits. About nine out of ten adults experience back pain at some point in their life, and five out of ten working adults have back pain every year. According to research conducted by the National Library of Medicine, in most industrial countries, about 70% of the adult population deals with back pain. And, many of these people have concurring issues as a result of lower back pain including, most frequently, pain in the legs.
There are many people who may be skeptical about using acupuncture for back pain, but many people have found relief where they haven’t anywhere else through using acupuncture. It’s a successful and effective method for treating back pain. Essentially, during acupuncture sessions to relieve back pain, areas of the body that contain pressure points that connect to energy meridians are pinpointed. And, acupuncture needles are inserted in these specific points of the body. The result of doing this is relieving tension brought on by nerves in these areas, which can help the muscles relax and reduce inflammation, which is the main cause of pain. Some of the parts of the body that have pressure points that may be effective to utilizing during acupuncture sessions can include:
There is a few ways that acupuncture works to relieve back pain. Some of these ways include:
Releasing of Pain-Reducing Chemicals: Acupuncture works to stimulate areas of the body that are responsible for releasing specific chemicals that are responsible for pain-reducing effects. While these body-produced chemicals are natural, they are typically only released naturally during traumatic situations which don’t include long-lasting pain. So, people who use acupuncture sessions for back pain release can find it more manageable to use acupuncture sessions for natural pain relief over long periods of time rather than using addiction-forming pain medications.
Nervous System Stimulation: Acupuncture needles, when placed at specific pressure points, can have pain-reducing effects because they are believed to stimulate nerve responses. The nervous system is responsible for why we feel pain. So, when it is stimulated throughout acupuncture sessions, it is believed that nerve endings, rather than focusing on back pain, focus on the puncture of the needle. This, in turn, helps to alleviate overall pain located in the back.
The Releasing of Hormones: Specific hormones can be produced and released throughout the body for a number of reasons. One responsibility of hormones is to better manage pain. Acupuncture needles can stimulate the areas of the brain responsible for releasing pain-reducing hormones that can impact how a person perceives back pain.
