Many people experience relief from back pain
with Chinese Medicine, whether the pain is chronic or intermittent.
A person may experience back pain for several years, pain that comes
and goes, or pain which is triggered from a day of gardening or shoveling
snow. Chinese medicine can be used to address back pain depending upon
the location, nature and duration of the pain.
When back pain is chronic, there is usually an underlying weakness that
needs to be addressed to aid in healing. The acupuncture points used
are a combination of local points or points that are in the area of
pain as well as distant points, such as around the ankles or wrists.
These points are used to reduce pain, strengthen and bring balance to
the body.
When back pain is acute or there is an acute flare-up of a chronic problem,
a person will also benefit from Chinese medicine. In such situations,
acupuncture points below the elbows and knees are often selected as
well as points in the painful area.
Chinese herbs may also be recommended in conjunction with acupuncture.
Chinese herbs will simultaneously nourish the body as well as reduce
the pain. Reducing pain by moving the bodys energy is the main focus
of the herbal treatment. Herbs also reinforce the acupuncture treatment
and allow healing to continue between visits.
In order to benefit the most from your acupuncture treatments, it is
useful to identify the following problems before the first visit: the
location of the pain even if the area changes, the quality of the pain
(for example, dull or sharp), what eases the pain and what causes the
pain to worsen. The number of visits needed varies between acute and
chronic pain. Most acute back pain will be relieved with 2-8 visits,
whereas chronic back pain sufferers will need more visits.
