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Acupuncture Back Pain, Low Back Pain, and SciaticaIf there is one condition that most commonly presents in the acupuncture clinic, it is back pain, and in particular, low back pain and sciatica. Fortunately for our patients, acupuncture has great success with back pain, low back pain, and sciatica.
Dr Alyssa has a refined technique for the treatment of back pain, and more often than not, our back pain and sciatica patients feel pain relief immediately upon the insertion of acupuncture needles. Back pain does not have to be a permanent condition you live with forever. It is often completely reversible with natural therapies such as acupuncture. Many of our patients have opted out of back surgery and discontinued their use of pain medications after a course of acupuncture treatments. Whether your back pain has been ailing you for years, or whether it is of recent onset, acupuncture can help. For short term or recent onset of back pain or sciatica, it may only take one to three treatments to resolve the pain. For very chronic back pain, a more aggressive treatment strategy may be needed, possibly consisting of two to three treatments per week until the pain is completely gone. In our experience, regardless of the nature of your back pain, even one treatment with acupuncture may significantly reduce pain enough so that you can sleep peacefully or go about your daily activities with ease. Sometimes in addition to acupuncture, Dr Alyssa will recommend herbal formulas and/or yoga therapy for the treatment back pain and sciatica. |
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Are Benefits of Acupuncture for Sciatica for Real?
by Tess Thompson
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is based on positive and negative energies generated by food intake, environment and lifestyles. Acupuncture is one of its mainstays for sciatica nerve treatment. Despite its popularity and effectiveness in many cases, acupuncture has not undergone much scrutiny from the researchers. There are many stories that tell us about the immediate relief and permanent cure that acupuncture is capable of. The fact is that success stories get advertised while incidents where acupuncture failed to treat do not get published unless there is an unfortunate happening. Like all alternative treatments, acupuncture does not have the backing of drug companies as there is nothing in it for them.
Conventional medicine believes that sciatica can be caused by one or more of the following reasons:
• A compression of the sciatic nerve that exits from the base of the spine
• Compression of the sciatic nerve due to a slipped disc due to trauma or a natural process
• Degenerative disc disease
• The narrowing of the spinal cord due to the natural ageing process
• Improper postures
• A pinched nerve due to trauma or inflammation in the piriformis muscle (known as pseudo-sciatica)
There may be some other reasons for sciatica, but TCM classifies sciatica pains based on different parameters. The three kinds of sciatica pain that TCM identifies are listed below:
• Sciatica pain that gets aggravated by cold or damp weather.
• Sciatica pain that is worse in the evening and better in the morning but aggravated by fatigue.
• Sciatica pain that is worse in the morning but aggravated by sitting still.
These parameters are used to identify the organs in the body that have been affected by negative energies and the meridians related with them are earmarked. For example, meridians between the lower back to heels are indicated when the pain is aggravated due to a damp or cold weather. Similarly, where the pain is worse in the evening and aggravated due to fatigue, a deficiency in liver or kidney function is indicated. If the pain is worse in the morning, an acupuncture expert looks at reasons related to stagnation of blood due to trauma, postural problems or some structural issue that is pinching or irritating the sciatic nerve.
This understanding helps the expert to identify the exact pressure points that need to be worked on. The expert may insert sharp sterilized needles along the path of the pain to unblock energy (Qi). This process is believed to spread out the external pathogen and activate Qi energy to eliminate pain. The specialist may also advise application of heat on the meridian points, exercise and herbs as part of the overall sciatica alternative remedies.
It is a matter of personal preferences whether to look towards acupuncture or stick to conventional drugs that have to be taken with care due to their notorious side effects. Some of the other sciatica alternative remedies like exercise, homeopathy, yogic postures and herbs are equally effective and deserve consideration. This is especially important because sciatica treatment can prove to be a lifelong process at times.
Sciatica may be a symptom and not a disease, but the pain is excruciating and may result in immobilization of the patient. The condition requires effective pain management. Natural modes of pain relief are indeed better than a prolonged use of pain relieving drugs.
Learn more: http://www.nativeremedies.com/articles/benefits-acupuncture-sciatica-real.html
by Tess Thompson
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is based on positive and negative energies generated by food intake, environment and lifestyles. Acupuncture is one of its mainstays for sciatica nerve treatment. Despite its popularity and effectiveness in many cases, acupuncture has not undergone much scrutiny from the researchers. There are many stories that tell us about the immediate relief and permanent cure that acupuncture is capable of. The fact is that success stories get advertised while incidents where acupuncture failed to treat do not get published unless there is an unfortunate happening. Like all alternative treatments, acupuncture does not have the backing of drug companies as there is nothing in it for them.
Conventional medicine believes that sciatica can be caused by one or more of the following reasons:
• A compression of the sciatic nerve that exits from the base of the spine
• Compression of the sciatic nerve due to a slipped disc due to trauma or a natural process
• Degenerative disc disease
• The narrowing of the spinal cord due to the natural ageing process
• Improper postures
• A pinched nerve due to trauma or inflammation in the piriformis muscle (known as pseudo-sciatica)
There may be some other reasons for sciatica, but TCM classifies sciatica pains based on different parameters. The three kinds of sciatica pain that TCM identifies are listed below:
• Sciatica pain that gets aggravated by cold or damp weather.
• Sciatica pain that is worse in the evening and better in the morning but aggravated by fatigue.
• Sciatica pain that is worse in the morning but aggravated by sitting still.
These parameters are used to identify the organs in the body that have been affected by negative energies and the meridians related with them are earmarked. For example, meridians between the lower back to heels are indicated when the pain is aggravated due to a damp or cold weather. Similarly, where the pain is worse in the evening and aggravated due to fatigue, a deficiency in liver or kidney function is indicated. If the pain is worse in the morning, an acupuncture expert looks at reasons related to stagnation of blood due to trauma, postural problems or some structural issue that is pinching or irritating the sciatic nerve.
This understanding helps the expert to identify the exact pressure points that need to be worked on. The expert may insert sharp sterilized needles along the path of the pain to unblock energy (Qi). This process is believed to spread out the external pathogen and activate Qi energy to eliminate pain. The specialist may also advise application of heat on the meridian points, exercise and herbs as part of the overall sciatica alternative remedies.
It is a matter of personal preferences whether to look towards acupuncture or stick to conventional drugs that have to be taken with care due to their notorious side effects. Some of the other sciatica alternative remedies like exercise, homeopathy, yogic postures and herbs are equally effective and deserve consideration. This is especially important because sciatica treatment can prove to be a lifelong process at times.
Sciatica may be a symptom and not a disease, but the pain is excruciating and may result in immobilization of the patient. The condition requires effective pain management. Natural modes of pain relief are indeed better than a prolonged use of pain relieving drugs.
Learn more: http://www.nativeremedies.com/articles/benefits-acupuncture-sciatica-real.html
Acupuncture Relieves Lower Back Pain – New Research
by HealthCMI
May 28, 2012
A new study of 236 patients published in the Journal of Musculoskeletal Pain concludes that acupuncture is an effective treatment modality for the relief of lower back pain. A total of 14 acupuncture treatments were applied over a period of four weeks in this randomized investigation. The researchers concluded that acupuncture has “beneficial and persistent effectiveness against CLBP (chronic lower back pain).”
In related research, acupuncture at acupoint LI4 (Hegu) was found to help in the relief of lower back pain. A group of 187 patients with CLBP received 18 treatments over a period of 7 weeks in this controlled clinical trial. Two separate acupuncture groups, one using LI4 and one not using this acupoint in the prescription, showed statistically significant relief from lower back pain.
The LI4 acupuncture point findings are consistent with acupuncture theory. LI4 is known for its pain relieving effects (including the neck, head, face and upper limbs) along with other points located on the hand. Yaotongxue, located on the dorsum of the hand, is a common acupuncture point used in the treatment of acute lumbar strain. Its lower back pain relieving effects are often immediate with lasting results.
Learn more: http://www.healthcmi.com/index.php/acupuncturist-news-online/557-acupunctureceuslowerbackpainli4
by HealthCMI
May 28, 2012
A new study of 236 patients published in the Journal of Musculoskeletal Pain concludes that acupuncture is an effective treatment modality for the relief of lower back pain. A total of 14 acupuncture treatments were applied over a period of four weeks in this randomized investigation. The researchers concluded that acupuncture has “beneficial and persistent effectiveness against CLBP (chronic lower back pain).”
In related research, acupuncture at acupoint LI4 (Hegu) was found to help in the relief of lower back pain. A group of 187 patients with CLBP received 18 treatments over a period of 7 weeks in this controlled clinical trial. Two separate acupuncture groups, one using LI4 and one not using this acupoint in the prescription, showed statistically significant relief from lower back pain.
The LI4 acupuncture point findings are consistent with acupuncture theory. LI4 is known for its pain relieving effects (including the neck, head, face and upper limbs) along with other points located on the hand. Yaotongxue, located on the dorsum of the hand, is a common acupuncture point used in the treatment of acute lumbar strain. Its lower back pain relieving effects are often immediate with lasting results.
Learn more: http://www.healthcmi.com/index.php/acupuncturist-news-online/557-acupunctureceuslowerbackpainli4
Study Analysis Shows Acupuncture Effective for Treating Chronic Low Back Pain
by University of Maryland Medical Center
Millions of people suffer with low back pain, and it is one of the top reasons people seek medical treatment. Back problems are also, by far, the primary reason for appointments with acupuncturists. But does acupuncture really help these patients? Researchers from the University of Maryland School of Medicine and the Peninsula Medical School, Plymouth, U.K., analyzed dozens of studies from around the world on acupuncture for low back pain. The study results will be published in the April 19 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
“For people with chronic low back pain, this analysis shows that acupuncture is clearly effective in providing considerable pain relief,” says Eric Manheimer, study author and director of database and evaluation for the University of Maryland Center for Integrative Medicine. “The research also showed that acupuncture provided true pain relief. The benefit was not just due to the placebo effect.”
The reviewers scoured the medical literature for all studies involving acupuncture for treating low back pain. To minimize bias, the American and British teams developed explicit criteria for evaluating the studies and did the evaluations independently. Their analysis included only randomized controlled trials, the gold standard study design for evaluating medical procedures.
Thirty-three studies covering more than 2,100 patients met the criteria for review. In the end, the researchers used 22 of these studies for their analysis. All 22 evaluated Chinese-style acupuncture for chronic low back pain, defined as pain that has been on-going for more than three months. The other 11 studies were excluded because they either only reported data that could not be combined statistically, they only included patients with acute back pain or pregnancy-related back pain or they involved forms of acupuncture other than traditional Chinese acupuncture.
Manheimer says, “We wanted the studies for the analysis to meet the highest scientific standards. As a way to account for a possible placebo effect, we looked at many studies that used ‘sham acupuncture’ as a control group, where acupuncture needles were inserted only superficially or in the wrong place.”
The sham acupuncture studies were double-blinded, meaning neither the researchers nor the participants knew who was receiving the real or the sham treatment. When looking at those studies, the reviewers found the differences in pain ratings showed a significant difference between the real acupuncture and the sham acupuncture groups, indicating that the benefit was not just due to the placebo effect.
“From our analysis, the message for people with chronic low back pain is that acupuncture is a truly effective therapy that provides significant pain relief,” says Manheimer. “Patients with low back pain have many options for treatment including medication, chiropractic care, physical therapy and back exercises. However, these treatments do not always help, and scientific evidence indicates that they have only modest effectiveness.”
The researchers evaluated the effects of acupuncture both in the short-term (defined as three weeks after the last acupuncture treatment) as well as in the longer term. They found acupuncture provided definite pain relief in the short-term, and this relief appeared to be sustained over the longer term. However, they say it’s too early to be certain of longer term effects, and more studies are underway.
For patients with acute back pain (defined as lasting less than three months), the reviewers found the data to be sparse and inconclusive. The evidence comparing acupuncture to other therapies was also inconclusive.
Previous attempts to synthesize information on acupuncture and chronic low back pain provided mixed results. But since 1999, the publication of five high quality, large-scale studies has added new evidence for the analysis. The current analysis includes these newer studies as well as earlier research not included in previous reviews.
In all, this analysis contains more than twice as many studies as earlier reviews and includes reports in English, Chinese, Japanese, Korean as well as Germanic and Romance languages. For this study, the reviewers received funding from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, a part of the National Institutes of Health.
Learn more: http://www.umm.edu/news/releases/back_pain.htm
by University of Maryland Medical Center
Millions of people suffer with low back pain, and it is one of the top reasons people seek medical treatment. Back problems are also, by far, the primary reason for appointments with acupuncturists. But does acupuncture really help these patients? Researchers from the University of Maryland School of Medicine and the Peninsula Medical School, Plymouth, U.K., analyzed dozens of studies from around the world on acupuncture for low back pain. The study results will be published in the April 19 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
“For people with chronic low back pain, this analysis shows that acupuncture is clearly effective in providing considerable pain relief,” says Eric Manheimer, study author and director of database and evaluation for the University of Maryland Center for Integrative Medicine. “The research also showed that acupuncture provided true pain relief. The benefit was not just due to the placebo effect.”
The reviewers scoured the medical literature for all studies involving acupuncture for treating low back pain. To minimize bias, the American and British teams developed explicit criteria for evaluating the studies and did the evaluations independently. Their analysis included only randomized controlled trials, the gold standard study design for evaluating medical procedures.
Thirty-three studies covering more than 2,100 patients met the criteria for review. In the end, the researchers used 22 of these studies for their analysis. All 22 evaluated Chinese-style acupuncture for chronic low back pain, defined as pain that has been on-going for more than three months. The other 11 studies were excluded because they either only reported data that could not be combined statistically, they only included patients with acute back pain or pregnancy-related back pain or they involved forms of acupuncture other than traditional Chinese acupuncture.
Manheimer says, “We wanted the studies for the analysis to meet the highest scientific standards. As a way to account for a possible placebo effect, we looked at many studies that used ‘sham acupuncture’ as a control group, where acupuncture needles were inserted only superficially or in the wrong place.”
The sham acupuncture studies were double-blinded, meaning neither the researchers nor the participants knew who was receiving the real or the sham treatment. When looking at those studies, the reviewers found the differences in pain ratings showed a significant difference between the real acupuncture and the sham acupuncture groups, indicating that the benefit was not just due to the placebo effect.
“From our analysis, the message for people with chronic low back pain is that acupuncture is a truly effective therapy that provides significant pain relief,” says Manheimer. “Patients with low back pain have many options for treatment including medication, chiropractic care, physical therapy and back exercises. However, these treatments do not always help, and scientific evidence indicates that they have only modest effectiveness.”
The researchers evaluated the effects of acupuncture both in the short-term (defined as three weeks after the last acupuncture treatment) as well as in the longer term. They found acupuncture provided definite pain relief in the short-term, and this relief appeared to be sustained over the longer term. However, they say it’s too early to be certain of longer term effects, and more studies are underway.
For patients with acute back pain (defined as lasting less than three months), the reviewers found the data to be sparse and inconclusive. The evidence comparing acupuncture to other therapies was also inconclusive.
Previous attempts to synthesize information on acupuncture and chronic low back pain provided mixed results. But since 1999, the publication of five high quality, large-scale studies has added new evidence for the analysis. The current analysis includes these newer studies as well as earlier research not included in previous reviews.
In all, this analysis contains more than twice as many studies as earlier reviews and includes reports in English, Chinese, Japanese, Korean as well as Germanic and Romance languages. For this study, the reviewers received funding from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, a part of the National Institutes of Health.
Learn more: http://www.umm.edu/news/releases/back_pain.htm
Acupuncture for Back Pain
by WebMD
Nearly 8 out of every 10 people will have low back pain at some point in life. Back pain is one of the top reasons people seek medical treatment. It is also the No. 1 reported reason for seeking acupuncture. The good news is chronic low back pain is one of the conditions that research suggests acupuncture may be an effective tool for treating.
One recent review of 22 acupuncture studies showed that it provided short-term relief from chronic back pain. It also showed there was greater improvement in pain for people who got acupuncture compared to those who received a “sham” treatment. Other studies have found, though, that sham acupuncture can be as effective as actual acupuncture. Those studies also found that, compared to standard treatment, both actual acupuncture and sham acupuncture are more effective.
Guidelines from the American Pain Society and American College of Physicians say doctors should consider acupuncture as an alternative therapy for patients with chronic low-back pain that's not helped by conventional treatment.
How Acupuncture Helps Back Pain
Acupuncture began in China more than 2,500 years ago. It involves inserting thin needles at certain points on the body. According to traditional Chinese medicine, the body has more than 2,000 of these points. They are connected by pathways or meridians, which create a flow of energy called Qi (pronounced “chee”). Stimulating these points is said to correct the imbalance of qi and improve the flow of energy. Practitioners believe that this helps relieve pain and improve health.
It's thought the effects come from stimulating the central nervous system. This may trigger the release of chemicals into the muscles, spinal cord, and brain. These chemicals either alter the experience of pain or produce bodily changes that promote a sense of well-being.
Other theories suggest acupuncture works by:
Speeding the relay of electromagnetic signals. This may begin the flow of pain-killing chemicals such as endorphins. Or it may release immune system cells in the body.
Triggering the release of natural opioids. These are chemicals in the brain that may lessen pain or promote sleep.
Changing brain chemistry by altering the release of neurotransmitters and neurohormones. Neurotransmitters either stimulate or dampen nerve impulses. Neurohormones can affect the function or activity of an organ in the body.
Acupuncture Risks and Side Effects
When done by an experienced, trained acupuncturist, the procedure is generally safe. Serious side effects, such as infections or punctured organs, are rare. Also, acupuncture has fewer adverse side effects than many of the standard treatments for back pain.
Points to Consider About Acupuncture
If other treatments have failed and you are considering acupuncture, discuss it with your doctor. Be sure to let your doctor know any other medications you are taking. Also tell your doctor if you are pregnant, wear a pacemaker, or have any type of implant.
Learn More: http://www.webmd.com/back-pain/guide/back-pain-and-acupuncture
by WebMD
Nearly 8 out of every 10 people will have low back pain at some point in life. Back pain is one of the top reasons people seek medical treatment. It is also the No. 1 reported reason for seeking acupuncture. The good news is chronic low back pain is one of the conditions that research suggests acupuncture may be an effective tool for treating.
One recent review of 22 acupuncture studies showed that it provided short-term relief from chronic back pain. It also showed there was greater improvement in pain for people who got acupuncture compared to those who received a “sham” treatment. Other studies have found, though, that sham acupuncture can be as effective as actual acupuncture. Those studies also found that, compared to standard treatment, both actual acupuncture and sham acupuncture are more effective.
Guidelines from the American Pain Society and American College of Physicians say doctors should consider acupuncture as an alternative therapy for patients with chronic low-back pain that's not helped by conventional treatment.
How Acupuncture Helps Back Pain
Acupuncture began in China more than 2,500 years ago. It involves inserting thin needles at certain points on the body. According to traditional Chinese medicine, the body has more than 2,000 of these points. They are connected by pathways or meridians, which create a flow of energy called Qi (pronounced “chee”). Stimulating these points is said to correct the imbalance of qi and improve the flow of energy. Practitioners believe that this helps relieve pain and improve health.
It's thought the effects come from stimulating the central nervous system. This may trigger the release of chemicals into the muscles, spinal cord, and brain. These chemicals either alter the experience of pain or produce bodily changes that promote a sense of well-being.
Other theories suggest acupuncture works by:
Speeding the relay of electromagnetic signals. This may begin the flow of pain-killing chemicals such as endorphins. Or it may release immune system cells in the body.
Triggering the release of natural opioids. These are chemicals in the brain that may lessen pain or promote sleep.
Changing brain chemistry by altering the release of neurotransmitters and neurohormones. Neurotransmitters either stimulate or dampen nerve impulses. Neurohormones can affect the function or activity of an organ in the body.
Acupuncture Risks and Side Effects
When done by an experienced, trained acupuncturist, the procedure is generally safe. Serious side effects, such as infections or punctured organs, are rare. Also, acupuncture has fewer adverse side effects than many of the standard treatments for back pain.
Points to Consider About Acupuncture
If other treatments have failed and you are considering acupuncture, discuss it with your doctor. Be sure to let your doctor know any other medications you are taking. Also tell your doctor if you are pregnant, wear a pacemaker, or have any type of implant.
Learn More: http://www.webmd.com/back-pain/guide/back-pain-and-acupuncture
