Low back pain and acupuncture
LUMBALGIA AND ACUPUNCTURE
By Acupuncture Wu Wei Posted February 19, 2018
Low back pain, low back pain, or lumbago
are the names given to pain in the lower back. It is one of the common problems that can lead us to the doctor's office. Statistics indicate that 8 out of 10 people will have at least one episode of low back pain in their lifetime. Between 60 and 80 percent of cases is a recurring condition. Low back pain can limit mobility and prevent work, as well as negatively affect mood. Sometimes the conventional medical treatment of pain relievers and rest does not provide complete improvement and some low back pain can persist for months. What many people do not know is that acupuncture can treat low back pain with very good results. According to this scientific study * done in Germany in 2007, acupuncture gives almost twice as many cases of improvement compared to conventional treatment. At Wu Wei Acupuncture we are very successful in treating low back pain with acupuncture.
There are several types of low back pain and it can have different causes:
The acute low back pain
it comes on suddenly, usually due to an injury or bad gesture, most commonly lifting weights. "I've been nailed" is what those affected most often comment. The chronic low back pain
It is one that lasts more than three months, usually of milder intensity, although it can worsen and become more acute after an episode (bad gesture, tiredness, changes in time, emotional stress ...).
From the point of view of Western medicine, low back pain may be due to:
- Soft tissue injury: ligament contracture, muscle strain, or sprain.
- Injury to the intervertebral discs: bulging or herniated disc.
- Spinal nerve root compression or radiculopathy: sciatica. The pain radiates to the buttocks and leg.
- Vertebral problem: fracture, spondylolisthesis, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis.
- Originated in internal organs: some gastrointestinal, kidney or pelvic pathologies give symptoms of low back pain. For example dysmenorrhea: some women during menstruation have low back pain associated with menstrual pain.
- Less common: tumor or infection.
From the point of view of Traditional Chinese Medicine there are several energy patterns
that give low back pain. We see some examples:
- The pain is worse in the morning when you get up and relieves with gentle exercise and heat. It is worse in cold, wet weather. There may be muscle stiffness and tension. When there is humidity it worsens when resting. There may be swelling, a feeling of heaviness, and numbness. Retention of cold and humidity.
- The pain is intense, stabbing, you can point where it hurts with your finger. It hurts to touch it. The muscles are stiff and he cannot turn at the waist or bend over. It improves with gentle movements and worsens when standing or sitting for a long time. It is not affected by cold or heat. Stagnation of energy and blood.
- The pain is chronic, dull, mild. It gets worse at times when you are very tired, or after sexual activity. It improves with rest. There may be cold in the lower back and weakness in the knees. Kidney deficiency.
- The pain can be acute or chronic. In periods of emotional stress it worsens, with tension and contractures in the back muscles. Associated with anger, resentment, frustration. Liver Qi stagnation.
Traditional Chinese Medicine treatment studies the specific energy imbalance of each person. With painless acupuncture techniques, he restores his balance and the ailment improves or disappears.
* Link to the study in English, Germany in 2007: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/413107
* In no case should acupuncture treatment replace conventional treatment.
Article Author: Laura Pavón, Wu Wei Acupuncture Collaborator
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