Acupuncture For Lower Back Pain

It seems like everyone has experienced lower back pain at least once in their lives. It is one of our most common complaints at our clinic and in the United States.  In fact approximately 49% of Americans state they suffer from lower back pain.  Back pain can literally be a pain in the butt! It was only about two years ago I found myself with sudden lower back pain after being rear ended on the highway. I can honestly say, initially I thought it wasn’t that bad. The damage to my vehicle wasn’t significant and I brushed it off as a fender bender. Boy was I wrong. A couple hours later I began to feel pain in my wrist, my elbow and my lower back. The next day the pain was even worse. I had significant pain in my lower back and my left leg was numb. That really freaked me out because I then knew my sciatic nerve was affected. I then went to my chiropractor to get evaluated and it was confirmed I had swelling in my L5-S1 which is a disc joint in the lower back. He recommended physical therapy along with acupuncture treatments. I can honestly say, I am very lucky that I began doing acupuncture within two days of my accident and that helped relieved my pain very quickly. The numbness in my leg was the most complicated and lingering symptom. It did take 3 months for me to fully recover with acupuncture treatments twice a week. Sometimes I even had to put needles in myself to help relieve the pain because I refused to take a narcotic. So many of my patients have been on narcotics for several years and continue to suffer from chronic pain. Eventually they become addicted to pain medication and it begins to cause other serious health issues. Unfortunately, this issue has become a public health crisis with devastating consequences including increases in opioid misuse and overdose. This is why I strongly believe in getting medical treatments as soon as possible to help your body heal properly. I will never tell a patient to not take pain medication when they are severely hurt but I do believe it is imperative to incorporate other healing modalities so they do not become dependent on pain medication.

Causes of Lower back pain

• Muscle or ligament strain.
• Bulging or ruptured disks.
• Skeletal irregularities.
• Osteoporosis
• Nerve Pain

Alternative Treatments:

• Chiropractic Care
• TENS unit
• Massage
• Yoga
• CBD oil
• Acupuncture and herbal medicine

Acupuncture for back pain can work wonders for back pain. It’s one of the most common issues we treat at Holistic Healing. Acupuncture works by speeding the relay of electromagnetic signals through your nervous system. This may begin the flow of pain-killing chemicals such as endorphins. It can release immune system cells in the body triggering the release of natural opioids. These are chemicals in the brain that reduce pain receptors. It also changes the brain chemistry by altering the release of neurotransmitters and neurohormones which can stimulate the healing process within the body.

I treat people with acute pain simply due to turning the wrong way to chronic pain from severe car accidents. Back pain can be unexpected and can sometimes leave you in debilitating pain, it’s important to know what to do so you can get the proper medical treatment. Once, you have gone to your PCP and been properly evaluated, I recommend getting acupuncture treatments. During your initial consultation  we will ask several questions to determine the exact cause of your pain. Sometimes it’s exactly clear on the source of your pain, other times it may be due to other undetectable issues such as stress or overwork. This is especially common for patients that had x-rays and MRI’s with all the scans coming back as normal. The doctor will say nothing is wrong and dismiss your back pain. At Holistic Healing we consider the patients mental and emotional health and the effects it may have on their physical health. Once, you have been properly diagnosed we will begin your treatments. They may be a combination of acupuncture, cupping and herbal medicine. Every patient is different and I develop a personalized treatment plan that best suits the patients exact needs.

Dealing with back pain on a daily basis can definitely take a toll on your life, not only physically but mentally  and emotionally. You may even notice yourself becoming very irritable and taking your anger out on your family or friends. Over time, the pain can cause other problems in your life that can lead to depression. This is very common with patients that I treat with chronic back pain. This is why I feel it is imperative to not only address the physical symptoms but the psychological symptoms as well. Having chronic lower back pain can inhibit you from working, doing your daily activities and feeling your best. Simply taking a pill every day will only mask the pain. It’s important for your body to heal properly and at Holistic Healing we can guide you through the process. I completely understand how it feels to be in pain and what it takes to get out of it. It is a process and you need sometime to guide you through your healing journey. Give your body the proper time it needs to heal and be patient with yourself.

Love and Light,

Amanda Sanchez L.a.c Dipl.O.M

Holistic Healing