A lot of people not only in the United States but in the whole world as well consult with their doctor to complain about their low back pain. Work absences and other missed activities are mostly caused by people suffering from this type of pain. In the United States, almost all people will experience low back pain at least once in their lives.
Low back pain can have so many possible causes. It may come from diseases, structural deformities and trauma just to name a few. Diseases that can generate low back pain include osteoporosis, and ankylosing spondylosis. Structural conditions can include stenosis, herniated discs and spinal abnormalities that cause chronic problems and pain. Trauma may be due to pain from injuries and strains.
Signs and Symptoms
Back pain symptoms and signs often involve pain felt in the back’s lumbar area. A lot of times, the symptoms can be muscular and local pain. Sometimes, sufferers may feel pain radiating down the legs and others may complain about numbness, spasmodic pain, throbbing pain, dull pain and stabbing pain. Sometimes the pain can travel to the toes causing them to turn numb. Sometimes, it may be almost impossible to walk due to the back pain. If your back pain is accompanied by arthritis, the back pain can be affected by changes in the weather.
Treatment options
Fortunately, low back pain can have several possible treatments. A lot of the most commonly used modalities include muscle relaxers and anti-inflammatory drugs. There are certain types of back pain that are caused by severe problems in the vertebrae that surgery can be the only recourse. One very effective and important treatment highly recommended by doctors and practitioners alike is traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture.
Acupuncture and Chinese medicine
Acupuncture is actually a component of traditional Chinese medicine and is very good for treating low back pain. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) sees the body quite differently from Western medicine. According to TCM, the body has vital energy inside it that flows through channels of energy known as meridians. Qi is what the Chinese call this vital energy and whenever it becomes imbalanced, health conditions will arise. In the case of low back pain, the flow of blood and qi becomes stagnated and external pathogens such as cold and wind in the body are the ones that cause the pain. TCM deems that one of the meridians and major organ systems that is affected is the kidney meridian and organ system. Acupuncture is able to rebalance the body enabling qi to flow better and this helps the body to heal itself.
Acupuncture is powerful to treat both chronic and acute low back pain. Many times with acute back pain, acupuncture will help with just a few treatments. Chronic back pain may take a little longer and people will have to come in for maintenance or preventative treatments. Acupuncture can help with low back pain conditions such as sciatic nerve pain, bulging disks, arthritis and stenosis.