This month’s newsletter is all about women’s health concerns and how acupuncture can help. Click here for more information.
Do you suffer from neck pain? There is an acupressure point on the hand that may help. Check out the article here.
Can acupuncture treatments relieve back pain?
Answer
from J. D. Bartleson, M.D.
When performed properly by trained practitioners, acupuncture has proved to be an effective therapy for back pain. Several studies have found that acupuncture can help reduce chronic back pain and improve daily function.
Acupuncture for back pain involves inserting very thin needles to various depths into strategic points on your body. This is thought to balance the flow of energy or life force — known as qi or chi (pronounced chee) — believed to flow through pathways (meridians) in your body.
Scientists don’t fully understand how or why acupuncture affects the amount of pain you feel. Several studies have found that acupuncture causes the same effects as sham (minimal or simulated) acupuncture used in some studies for comparison. Sham acupuncture involves tapping the skin with a toothpick at the same strategic points used in acupuncture to simulate the insertion of a needle. Sham acupuncture may not be an accurate way of studying the benefits of acupuncture, however, because it’s possible that acupuncture points can be stimulated by even surface pressure. Both acupuncture and sham acupuncture showed improvement over usual medical treatments.
Acupuncture is generally recognized as safe if done by a competent, certified acupuncture practitioner. Possible side effects and complications can occur, which include soreness, bleeding, infection or bruising at the needle sites.
Acupuncture isn’t a cure and not everyone responds to acupuncture for back pain. If your back pain doesn’t begin to improve within a few weeks, acupuncture may not be the right treatment for you. If you’re considering acupuncture for back pain, talk with your doctor, who can refer you to an acupuncturist.
Check out my April Newsletter here
I see this quite often in my practice so I thought I would share this article with you from AcupunctureToday.com
What is neck pain?
Neck pain is a common condition — so common, in fact, that the expression “a pain in the neck” is an oft-used figure of speech in English. It can be mild enough so that it is a mere annoyance, or severe enough that it can adversely affect the quality of one’s life. Because of its position and range of motion, and because it plays a vital role in the support of the head, the neck is more subject to injury than any other portion of the spine. While it is much less frequent than back pain, neck pain can occasionally be severe enough to warrant attention from a licensed health professional.
Neck pain can have a variety of causes. Keeping your head in an awkward position can cause your neck muscles to fatigue and the joints in your neck to “lock” in place, causing discomfort, stiffness and limited range of motion. Neck pain can also be caused by a sudden force (such as an automobile accident), or a medical condition (swelling, disease, tumors, bleeding, inflammation, etc.). Some neck pain can also cause headaches (see the “Acupuncture for Headaches and Head Pain” article in the News sections for more information).
Who suffers from neck pain?
Almost everyone will experience some sort of neck pain or stiffness during their lifetime; however, certain occupations appear to be predisposed to neck symptoms. Manual laborers, for instance, have more symptoms than office workers, and the type of work seems to affect the risk. A person’s age and a history of twisting and bending during work can also contribute. Workers who have been required to do repetitive tasks with their upper extremities, or who undergo periods of prolonged sitting with their head in a flexed position (such as typing on a keyboard at a desk) are at risk of developing mechanical neck pain.
What can acupuncture do for neck pain?
Studies have shown acupuncture to be effective in relieving certain types of neck pain, particularly those caused by whiplash. Some studies suggest acupuncture can treat degenerative neck disorders such as ankylosing spondylosis and cervical spondylosis; in many cases, acupuncture has worked for patients whose conditions could not be solved using conventional approaches.
Acupressure and herbal medicine are sometimes used in conjunction with acupuncture for neck pain. Applying acupressure to the neck muscles can reduce spasm and lessen pain, leading to a relaxed state and a heightened sense of well-being. Depending on the patient’s condition, certain herbal products can be used to improve circulation and blood flow and ease muscle contraction.
References
* Coan RM, Wong G, Coan PL. The acupuncture treatment of neck pain: a randomized controlled study. Amer J Chin Med 1982;9:326-332.
* David J, Modi S, Aluko AA, Robertshaw C, Farebrother J. Chronic neck pain: a comparison of acupuncture treatment and physiotherapy. British Journal of Rheumatology 1998;37:1118-1122.
* Hansen JA. A comparative study of two methods of acupuncture treatment for neck and shoulder pain. Acupuncture in Medicine 1997;15:71-73.
* Ross J, White A, Ernst E. Western, minimal acupuncture for neck pain: a cohort study. Acupuncture in Medicine 1999;17:5-8.
* White AR, Ernst E. A systematic review of randomized controlled trials of acupuncture for neck pain. Rheumatology (Oxford) 1999;38:143-147.
