Back pain is one of the most common disorders. Maximum people in the world have been subjected to back pain at some points in their life. The most prominent is the pain in the lower back. About 8 out of 10 people have complaints regarding pain in their lower back. Many people tend to seek medical advice because of their back pain. As per the medical experts’ advice, acupuncture therapy is considered to be the most prominent treatment of back pain. If you have been suffering from chronic back pain, acupuncture may be of great help in treating it.
Several studies have found that acupuncture can help in treating the chronic back pain. Although for a short period, it is still effective for treating the back pain. The studies have shown that acupuncture treated chronic back pain more compared to the other forms of treatment. However, there are other studies which have shown sham acupuncture can treat the disease as effective as actual acupuncture. The same studies have also found that sham and actual acupuncture can be more effective than those of the other forms of treatment.
Experts often recommend the most effective treatment of chronic lower back pain to be acupuncture.
How can acupuncture treat back pain?
The history of acupuncture traces back to 2500 years ago in China. During that time, this process of treatment was extensively used by the professionals. In the acupuncture treatment, a needle is inserted into the body to trigger and release the pressure in those points. The Chinese traditional medical belief states that there are about 2000 such trigger points in the human body. These acupuncture trigger points in the body are connected to each other through pathways. These pathways induce the production of energy which flows that is known as Qi. If these points are triggered, it will improve the disruption of the balance of qi and thus help in the enhancement of the flow of energy. It was the ancient Chinese belief that the process could help to improve the overall health by relieving the pain from these points.
The acupuncture treatment has the most improved effect in the central nervous system. When the points are triggered, they release a variety of chemical into the spinal cord, muscles, and brain. These chemicals are required by the body since they help to get cured of the pain. The acupuncture treatment may also be effective in enhancing the sense of well-being of the overall body.
There are several theories which have suggested that acupuncture can be effective in treating the back pain by following
- Speeds up the process of relaying the electromagnetic signals. It often begins with inducing the flow of chemicals which help in reducing pain such as endorphins. These also help in the release of immune system cells within the body.
- It triggers the natural opioids to be released. These chemicals are found in the brain that helps to lessen the effective pain and enhance the better quality of sleep.
- The acupuncture helps to alter the chemistry of brain by enhancing the release of certain neurohormones as well as neurotransmitters. These may be effective in dampening the nerve impulses or stimulating them. The neurohormones can have an impact on the functions of the various organs into the body.
Risks and side effects related to acupuncture
If you are considering to get acupuncture done, you should choose to undergo treatment under a professional. The procedure should be carried out safely. The other side effects of acupuncture are very rare. These may include punctured organs or even infections in certain cases. Compared to the other methods of treatment of back pain, the method of acupuncture has very few side-effects.
Things to remember for acupuncture
If you were not treated with properly with the other methods of back pain, you should consider acupuncture getting done. Nevertheless, before starting off with the process, you should consult your doctor. Had you taken any treatments earlier, you should inform your doctor about them too. If you have any kind of implant or are pregnant, you should inform your doctor about those cases too. There are people who have a pacemaker installed, that should be informed too.
Consulting your doctor is one of the convenient ways since he may be able to recommend you a professional and licensed acupuncturist. You may also search for a licensed acupuncturist online. All you need to do is type “acupuncturists near me” and find them. If you are in Nashville, you can even contact the various companies like Batson ChiroHealth Group to get your acupuncture therapy done.
If you have health insurance, you should check if it will be paying for your acupuncture treatment or not. You should consult your acupuncturist about an estimated cost. Do not forget to ask them how many treatments will be done.
You should consult getting acupuncture done if none of the treatments have worked for you. Nevertheless, since it is a sensitive treatment, you should get it done by professionals itself.
