“Acupuncture for a Back Pain"
By Tommy Hoffman, Licensed Physical Therapist
As I were to have a bulging disc back pain today, I would make every attempt to seek out each and every option made available to me in order to heal and cure my condition as soon as humanly possible. And that would include treatments like acupuncture or acupressure.
I must admit, having been a physical therapist for over 12 years, acupuncture, while a viable treatment option, is often overlooked and seldom prescribed for back pain. Many medical doctors are just not that convinced this approach is of any value, and if it should be referred at all, it is due out of shear desperation and done as a last resort before surgery.
Given that these patients are of the worst kind, the most severe, the real hard luck cases, acupuncture in my experience fails quite often. And this happens as a result of being a provider that is last in line in the pecking order instead of being perhaps one of the first.
Isn’t that the case for many “eastern” approaches to medical intervention? Here in the United States, acupuncture may be perhaps one of the most underutilized healthcare disciplines that we may come across simply because it is not well understood.
How does Acupuncture Work?
A professional acupuncturist will utilizes long thin needles that when placed appropriately throughout the body (specific body points), they free-up blocked energy and relieve pain. The energy (called Meridians) are believed to have connections through out the body. When blocked energy is no longer interrupted, the restoration of health is expected. This Chinese medical practice has been around for over 2,000 years! Now that is impressive.
All though this procedure for back pain is a little more invasive than most, it is deemed perfectly safe. And many people report little to no discomfort during the actual application of the treatment.
Many studies have been done to demonstrate the proven abilities of acupuncture. The literature supports the efficacy of acupuncture for the relief of pain symptoms.
While I am not advocating that everyone with a BULGING DISC go out and receive treatment from an acupuncturist, I would say that anything that has been able to stand the test of time is certainly worth exploring and as it makes good sense, giving it a try.
As an aside, if the thought of a needle pricking your skin makes your knees weak, there is also acupressure as the runner up choice. This treatment approach is derived from acupuncture but instead of needles, it utilizes “pressure” to specific body points in order to release blocked energy. In some cases, you can even perform some acupressure on yourself in order to achieve some back pain relief.
Either way, this ancient “Chinese secret” might be yet one more (and is some cases the last) treatment option to consider before surgical intervention is chosen or otherwise opting for the notion to just “live” with the pain. You may be pleasantly surprised when "east meets west" and your bulging disc back pain simply melts away.
Good Luck,
Tommy Hoffman, P.T.Tommy Hoffman
"Don't spend more time with bulging disc back pain by not finding out the truth today!"