Back Pain

According to the University of Wyoming Orthopedic center “It is estimated that 50 to 80 percent of adults have had back pain at some time and that 10 percent of all Americans have back pain in a given year.” Back pain can occur at any age in both men and women.

Acupuncture has been shown to be very effective treating lower back pain. Back pain easily becomes chronic , and more difficult to treat over time. Incorrect posture, injury, weak abdominal muscles, and lack of proper nutrients causes disc injury or dehydration which result in chronic low back pain and weakness. Acupuncture treats this condition by modifying the body’s pain modulation systems, increasing blood flow to the area and moving obstructions, relaxing the muscles, providing nourishment to the sick meridian(s) to allow healing to occur.

According to a recent WebMD post “Acupuncture proved to be more effective than conventional lower back pain treatments in a new study. The German study compared outcomes among 1,162 patients with chronic low back pain treated with traditional Chinese acupuncture; sham acupuncture; or a conventional approach to treating back pain using drugs, physical therapy, and exercise. The study is the largest investigation of acupuncture vs. conventional nonsurgical treatment for lower back pain ever reported, researchers say. Acupuncture represents a highly promising and effective treatment option for chronic back pain," researcher Heinz Endres, MD, tells WebMD. Patients experienced not only reduced pain intensity, but also reported improvements in the disability that often results from back pain -- and therefore in their quality of life.”

As with neck pain, we suggest the addition of a proven protocol for severe disc dengeneration or herniations if several acupuncture treatments do not provide significant relief from pain.

Taking pharmaceutical treatment for pain may temporarily mask the symptoms of low back pain, but will not correct the source of the problem. Strong anti-inflammatory drugs (celebrex, vioxx, aspirin) have serious side effects. Vioxx was removed from the market after it was shown to be toxic to the heart muscle. Celebrex is in the same family of drugs (COX-2 inhibitors), and although less toxic, still has serious risks. Regular use of aspirin, ibuprofen, etc. causes gastric bleeding and ulcers. Opiate pain medication (Oxycodone, Percocet, etc) simply dulls your brain to the pain you are experiencing, and are generally highly addictive with adverse GI side effects.