Acupuncture for Back Pain

Posted · Add Comment

Back pain is a common complaint, suffered by many people. Like most painful conditions, back pain can be debilitating to sufferers especially when chronic, having a negative impact on lifestyle and general well-being.

Back pain is one of the most common reasons for people to seek treatment. Western medical treatment may include medication such as anti-inflammatory drugs, chiropractic manipulation or massage.

In traditional chinese medicine (TCM), pain is a symptom of “qi stagnation” (pronounced “chee”). Qi is broadly translated as “energy”, and is a fundamentally important concept in TCM. Qi flows through the body in meridians or channels, but sometimes the qi is obstructed, or unable to flow smoothly, for example by mechanical trauma. It is this stagnation of the qi that causes pain.

Acupuncture for back pain focuses on relieving or removing the obstruction of qi, thereby relieving the pain.

Acupuncture treatment involves the insertion of fine, sterile, single-use needles into specific points on the body. Needles may be manipulated to induce a dull, aching sensation (called “de qi”). The needles are usually left in place for 15-20 minutes before removal. The experience is usually pleasant and most people enjoy their treatment.

Other TCM treatments for back pain may involve cupping, moxibustion, tui na (chinese massage) or electro-acupuncture.

A course of treatment may involve several sessions, usually weekly or fortnightly. Your acupuncturist will be able to create a treatment plan for your individual case. When performed by a qualified practitioner, acupuncture is a low-risk, drug-free alternative treatment for back pain.

In Australia, acupuncturist is a registered profession and practitioners are expected to have and maintain certain levels of qualifications and insurance. The profession is regulated by the Chinese Medicine Board of Australia, who can be contacted to query practitioner’s registration status at www.ahpra.gov.au/chinese-medicine.aspx

For everyone looking for a bit of extra light reading, here’s a couple of literature reviews. The first one shows that acupuncture may have a favorable effect on self-reported pain and functional limitations on non-specific chronic lower back pain:

Lam M, Galvin R, Curry P. Effectiveness of acupuncture for nonspecific chronic low back pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2013 Nov 15;38(24):2124-38
This second literature review compares a wide variety of alternate and non-invasive therapies for chronic low back pain. It showed that acupuncture was included in the list of therapies showing the strongest evidence in the literature for good efficacy and outcomes:
Wellington J. Noninvasive and alternative management of chronic low back pain (efficacy and outcomes).Neuromodulation. 2014 Oct;17 Suppl 2:24-30
Acupuncture for back pain

Acupuncture for back pain

Comments are closed.