"Find relief from low back pain with acupuncture"
By Ellika Shilling, L.Ac.
Brewster, NY

Back pain is one of the most common conditions plaguing people in Western societies, affecting more than 31 million people in the United States.  Conventional therapies include bed rest; stretching and physical exercise; muscle relaxing modalities such as hot packs, ultrasound and infrared; and anti-inflammatory and analgesic (pain relieving) medications or surgery. Unfortunately, these therapies are frequently ineffective. Furthermore, long-term use of anti-inflammatory drugs can lead to gastritis and ulcers, and excessive use of some analgesics can damage the liver.

Low back pain is usually caused by strain from lifting, twisting, or bending. However, in some cases low back pain can be a sign of a more serious condition, such as an infection, a rheumatic or arthritic condition, or an ovarian cyst.  A ruptured or bulging disk, the strong, spongy, gel-filled cushions that lie between each vertebra and compression fractures of the bones in the spine can also cause low back pain, especially in older women with osteoporosis.  Poor overall fitness, smoking, and general life dissatisfaction increase a person's risk for low back problems.   

The use of acupuncture to treat this condition has increased dramatically in the past few decades.  Acupuncture is a safe and effective procedure for low back pain, and can maintain positive outcomes for periods of six months or longer without producing the negative side-effects that often accompany more traditional pain remedies.

If there is free flow, there is no pain;
If there is no free flow, there is pain.

This means that if the Qi and/or blood stagnate in the channel(s), specifically through the region of the low back, there will be pain. Imagine a river flowing unimpeded and suddenly a tree falls across the river; we see in our imagination the water no longer flowing freely, but getting blocked by the log, pushing into the banks of the river. The basic concept of acupuncture is to re-open the river, create a circulation so that the log lifts and normal flow is restored.

Treating low back pain with acupuncture typically involves an initial period of frequently scheduled treatments. Acupuncture has a cumulative effect; each treatment builds on the previous one, so consistency in the treatment schedule pays off.  In acute cases, recurring sessions may solve the pain issue within weeks, while in chronic cases acupuncture may have to be employed on a continuous basis for pain management. In that case the practitioner and patient will together explore the most efficient treatment plan. 

Many patients with chronic low back pain find that acupuncture treatment will help not only break the pain cycle, but allow them to reduce pain medications and participate more vigorously in physical daily activities.