Back pain is quite common. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about 39% of U.S. adults experienced back pain within the past three months, and nearly 65 million adults report a recent episode of back pain.

Fortunately, Chinese Medicine has a strong understanding of the underlying etiology of much of the back pain people complain about. There is also a strong written clinical history, over 2,000 years of successfully treating both acute back pain and chronic back pain. I have included numerous recent studies at the end of this article that also show the statistical significance and efficacy in using Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine for the treatment of back pain.

Back PAin

Fortunately, Chinese Medicine has a strong understanding of the underlying etiology of much of the back pain people complain about. There is also a strong written clinical history, over 2,000 years of successfully treating both acute back pain and chronic back pain. I have included numerous recent studies at the end of this article that also show the statistical significance and efficacy in using Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine for the treatment of back pain.

In Chinese Medicine we understand there are several possible underlying causes of back pain. These can be from overwork, lack of good quality sleep, genetics, poor posture, inflexibility and emotional components including stress, fear and even frustration. How else can we explain a simple movement such as picking up a paper clip off the ground causing severe back pain? Clearly there is more to the story. So, we address the acute pain as well as the reason it occurred in the first place so it is less likely to come back. Patients report if they do have a occurrence it is often less intense, and over all less frequent as compared to before acupuncture treatment.

How do we treat back pain at Seaside Acupuncture?

One of the main ways we treat back pain is through acupuncture. This involves the insertion of tiny needles, sometimes in close proximity to the area of pain and other times in distal locations, like the legs, hands, and feet. The location of the needles are along planes of fascia which connect various muscles and organs in the body. While the idea of needles may seem uncomfortable, patients find it to be comfortable and deeply relaxing as well.

Moxabustion technique is where we use the burning of mugwort to help strengthen the back, and provide comfort and pain relief. Often this is most effective when there is cold and stiffness. Patients enjoy the smell of the burning moxa as well as extremely comforting.

Other included modalities incorporated into our sessions include therapeutic massage, cupping, e-stim on the needles, topical lineaments, plasters, and pain patches.

Lastly, Chinese herbal formulas are used to enhance blood flow to the back as well herbs that strength our Kidney vitality which governs the low back. These are available in capsules, teas and tinctures are often helpful for patients in between sessions or in the early stages of recovering from a back injury. I have quite a few patients enjoy using Chinese Herbal Medicine for golf trips, and grueling work travel.

Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture has an over 5,000 year history of successfully treating and managing chronic back pain without pain medications. This is a fascinating article on how a mummified nomadic man in southern Europe was found with acupuncture points tattooed on him. He is also found with various herbal remedies.