How can acupuncture help ease your back pain? Before I explain how, let me share some relevant facts:
- Nearly 8 out of every 10 people will experience lower back pain at some point in their lives.
- Back pain is the #1 reason that people give for seeking acupuncture.
- And if Chinese Medicine has proven to be an effective tool for relieving this issue for 2,500 years, it can help you, too.
Now, here are 5 ways that acupuncture can help ease your back pain…
Reason #1: Acupuncture provides pain relief without the harmful side effects of medication
It could be that you woke up one day and your back suddenly hurt. Or you injured it while enjoying your favorite sport. Or you had a bad fall and wrenched your back. For all of these conditions, acupuncture can help provide pain relief without any of the harmful side effects of medication, including grogginess, masking your symptoms, gastrointestinal problems, ulcers, kidney or liver damage, chemical dependency, and possible addiction if you’re taking a strong prescription.
Reason #2: Acupuncture offers a reduction in recovery time
Because acupuncture creates a flow of energy called Qi throughout your body’s pathways or meridians, stimulating these points with tiny, virtually painless acupuncture needles can reduce the recovery time of a back injury or back pain.
Furthermore, by stimulating your central nervous system, acupuncture may speed the relay of electromagnetic signals in your body, which can also increase recovery time.
In addition, acupuncture may trigger the release of pain-killing chemicals such as endorphins into your muscles, spinal chord and your brain, promoting a sense of well being. Or acupuncture may release immune system cells in your body, too.
Reason #3: Acupuncture reduces the chance of your condition becoming or remaining chronic
By using acupuncture to reduce your acute back pain, it can also reduce the chances of chronic back pain from occurring or re-occurring. Using acupuncture to ease and relieve back pain can also help you avoid the need for more invasive surgery.
Reason #4: Acupuncture allows a comprehensive and holistic diagnosis and treatment plan
I will start your treatment by taking care of your back, but will also look at the big picture and treat your whole body as well. In addition, I can recommend ways to make healthy lifestyle changes to prevent your back injury from occurring again.
Reason #5: Acupuncture is just one of many treatment forms
Most of my clients first seek my help with their back pain through acupuncture. But that’s just one of the tools in my arsenal, because I commonly offer what I affectionately call my “trifecta treatments” which include: acupuncture (with electric stimulation), Tui Na, and Cupping. Together they yield fabulous results!
When I can recommend selected Chinese herbs, I can most often achieve pain relief in one or two sessions, which may also help your mood and ability to sleep better.
How Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) works
Traditional Chinese Medicine and acupuncture go hand-in-hand, or needle-in-hand, if you will. TCM focuses on a different system to diagnose conditions like back pain than western medicine does. A Mandarin phrase, “Bu Tong Zi Tong”, which means, “No movement [there] is pain”, or stagnation of any kind will result in pain.”
This means that too little exercise can cause your muscles to stagnate and result in back pain, hypertension, and other maladies. Conversely, exercising too much can also cause pain. TCM helps me see and understand your body’s yin-yang relationship. That’s why I use acupuncture to open up your body’s meridians and get your qi flowing, while Chinese herbs can help move your qi and blood internally.
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Samantha is by far the most amazing acupuncturist I’ve ever been to! She has solved every injury I’ve had, including completely getting rid of old ones. Being a professional aerialist is tough on the body, but Samantha keeps me going strong and functioning optimally. She is also a high level athlete herself, and her embodied knowledge is such a plus. Her treatment process is extremely unique, and her knowledge spans wide to where she can tailor fit the ideal treatment from different angles. She’s the perfect combination of efficient and methodical, where she will get a lot done in the session but also takes time to check in and take time where necessary. I always look forward to our sessions. She’s also an absolute gem of a human being! I couldn’t recommend her enough!!
Samantha has been my go-to therapist to help recover and prepare for all of my races. She’s the kind of therapist that understands an athlete’s need to push themselves, and most important, she can tell where the line is when that athlete should pull back. What I like most about Samantha’s treatments is that she takes the time to understand long-term goals and can readily identify the hurdles. She supports my ambitions with a deliberate and holistic approach: acupuncture with mindfulness about how nutrition and stress (physical and mental) can play a part in achieving my personal best. I highly recommend!-