When you’ve tried everything from yoga moves to muscle relaxants, yet still can’t find satisfactory relief from your back pain, acupuncture may be the answer.
Basic Methodology
The ancient Chinese tradition obviously uses non-clinical terminology for the acupuncture method, but in general the practice is believed to work by stimulating the nervous system to produce a series of healing chemicals. Long, thin needles are inserted into various “acupoints” on the back and other body parts, depending on the ailment and the practitioner’s own methodology.
The sessions often take less than 30 minutes, and most people don’t experience pain. The number of recommended visits varies depending on the complexity of the problem, but some people report significant relief after a single session.
Targeting the Back
Your acupuncturist will likely choose to insert needles into acupoints at the site of your actual back pain, but may also choose “distal” acupoints. Distal points are believed to open up specific pathways that work in conjunction with the pathways opened at the local acupoints.
For example, a study for treating back pain used a method in which eight needles were inserted directly into part of the back where the problem was felt. But distal points were also selected — one on each elbow, and one each at the knee, calf and ankle locations. Patients in the study reported significant pain reduction after several sessions.
Working With Your Acupuncturist
Given the thousands of acupoints, and the dozens of pathways, that makes up the tradition of acupuncture, it makes little sense to try to second-guess your specialist. The ancient methodology — such as examining your tongue and asking questions that don’t seem to be related to your pain — is a complex one.
Choosing a specialist based on a trusted recommendation, and remaining open to the process, is the best path to enabling acupuncture to work its healing powers on your back pain. For more information, Contact Us Today in Freehold, NJ.