Millions of Americans suffer from back pain, including both acute (immediate) and chronic (long-lasting) pain that makes it hard to perform simple, everyday activities. Back pain is so common partly because so many factors can cause it — and also because it doesn’t always respond to traditional therapies.
At Jersey Integrative Health and Wellness, our team is skilled in comprehensive, holistic pain management for back pain, including acupuncture therapy for patients seeking a more holistic, natural approach. If your back pain is interfering with your quality of life, here’s how acupuncture can help.
Acupuncture has been practiced for centuries to help relieve all sorts of pain, particularly pain involving muscles and nerves. During treatment, your practitioner places special acupuncture needles at specific points on your body.
In traditional acupuncture, these points (or meridians) are linked with energy pathways (or qi) in the body. By inserting needles in these meridians, the idea is to disrupt negative energy flow and redirect the body’s qi into positive pathways, instead.
Today, researchers think acupuncture works in several ways to treat both acute and chronic pain.
Acupuncture needles stimulate nerves and nerve pathways, triggering the release of “feel-good” chemicals called endorphins that help naturally relieve pain. These nerve pathways also transport chemicals that influence pain signals so our perception of pain lessens.
Acupuncture also helps relieve muscle tension, particularly tight muscle knots that play a major role in many types of back and neck pain. Targeting tense muscles improves muscle function for long-term symptom relief.
Acupuncture also helps relieve inflammation, another component associated with back pain. Researchers believe it helps reduce oxidative stress that damages cells and increases inflammatory effects that lead to pain.
While learning about the science behind acupuncture is interesting, most patients are more concerned about what happens during treatment. After all, the thought of having needles inserted into your skin can be daunting to many people.
Fortunately, acupuncture is much more comfortable than most people expect. In part, that’s because the needles used in acupuncture are extremely thin and short — much smaller than needles used in vaccination, for example.
For back pain, you lie on your belly on a special padded table, then your practitioner inserts the sterile needles into the preselected points. The needles stay in place for about 30-40 minutes. During treatment, we may manipulate the needles slightly to enhance their effects.
Most patients find the experience completely tolerable and even relaxing. If you notice any discomfort from the needles, let us know so we can adjust them.
While acupuncture doesn't require any intervention on your part (just lie back and relax), there are some steps you can take to get the most from your session.
During treatment, we need to access your back and other areas of your body, like your neck, shoulders, or arms, depending on your symptoms. Wear clothing that’s easy to change into and out of and that won’t restrict movement or rub against your skin following treatment.
Having a small snack before treatment may help you relax more. Avoid anything too heavy as well as fried foods. Stick to a salad, soup, or some fruit.
Caffeine and alcohol can affect the way your nerves react during treatment, either over-activating nerve pathways or dulling the benefits of treatment. Instead, stay hydrated with water.
During your visit, be ready to discuss your pain symptoms, including when they first began and what activities make them worse. This information helps us map out your treatment plan more effectively.
For most people, acupuncture works best when administered on a regular basis to maintain the beneficial effects. We can develop a treatment plan based on your health history, your symptoms, and your response to therapy.
Back pain isn’t always easy to treat, but by incorporating complementary therapies like acupuncture into your treatment plan, you can enjoy long-lasting pain relief and a better quality of life.
To learn more about acupuncture and other pain management treatments we offer, request an appointment online or over the phone with the team at Jersey Integrative Health and Wellness in Pompton Plains and Jersey City, New Jersey, today.
