Acupuncture for Back Pain

The occurring of back pain means something wrong with some part of your body. As for treating back pain, today acupuncture for back pain is one of popular treatments and it can bring the natural back pain relief you are seeking.

Understanding lower back pain

As a matter of fact, low back pain is not a disease but just a symptom of some kind of underlying disease. Through the outer symptom of low back pain, the body is telling you that one certain part of your body is out of function now. The problem can be critical in some cases and likely results in serious consequences if left untreated. On the contrary in some others back pain is just as well though this kind of severe back pain sometimes can cause a lot of unbearable pains.

It is a very important step to distinguish these two different types of back pains as it is the direct based evidence that which back pain relief products should be taken. If common lower back pain treatment is being adopted in some critical cases, you can picture that what consequences would happen to the sufferers next. On the contrary, once the diagnosis of common chronic back pain is confirmed, it can assure that you don’t need to worry too much. Some common lower back pain exercises and the changing of your life style can lose the back pain as well.

Causes of back pain

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), pains are caused by the stagnation of Qi-blood and the blockade of meridians. It’s like that old saying goes:

Pain means blockade, which is caused by the stagnation of Qi-blood. Once the blockade is removed, pains would be gone as well as Qi and blood recover in harmony now.

From the perspective of TCM, back pains can be classified into two basic types, either excess or deficiency. The deficient type is typically caused by deficiency of both liver and kidney or deficiency of both Qi and blood. The excessive type is typically caused by stasis, cold-dampness and dampness-heat.

Acupuncture and low back pain

Acupuncture is a treasure of Traditional Chinese Medicine. As early as in the ancient age, people began to use stone needle for medical treatments. Acupuncture therapy uses acupoints as the stimulating points and the relationship of meridian as basis of the treatment. Meridian consists of major channel and branches of channels, which refer to the network that runs Qi-blood, contact the viscera, communicate the internal and external and run through up and down inside the body.

Acupuncture is using these passages through which vital energy circulates and regulate bodily functions. Acupuncture stimulates the acupoints, deep or shallow, strong or weak, to arouse the meridian and Qi-blood, which can adjust the overall function, dredge the channels, regulate the internal organs so as to encourage the vital energy and achieve the purpose of medical treatment in the end.

As for sever lower back pain, acupuncture can stir up the Qi of meridian, regulate Qi and blood, clear channels so as to bring natural back pain relief. Acupuncture treatment uses The Great Law of Bu-Xie, namely tonification (Bu) and of sedation (Xie), to cure back pain. In addition, acupuncture can also ease muscle spasm, promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis, diminish inflammation and swelling and promote tissue repair function. In a word, acupuncture can cure for lower back pain by addressing both the symptoms and root cause.

Common points in acupuncture for back pain

So what are the common acupoints in acupuncture? Back pain is closely associated with the following acupoints, which actually are taken in most cases of acupuncture for back pain.

Jian Jing (GB-21), which means Shoulder Well in English. It is on the shoulder, at the midpoint of a line connecting GV-14 (Da Zhui) and the acromion at the highest point of the shoulder. Don’t insert deep or it might damage apex pulmonis and lead to pneumothorax.Tian Zong (SI-11), which is on the scapula, in the depression of the centre of the subscapular fossa, and on the level of the 4th thoracic vertebra. Puncture perpendicularly 0.5-0.7 inch.Bing Feng (SI-12), which locates directly above SI-11 in the center of the suprascapular fossa, found in a depression when the arm is lifted. Puncture perpendicularly 0.3 inch.Qu Yuan (SI13), which is at the medial extremity of the suprascapular fossa midway between SI-10 and the spinous process of T2. Puncture perpendicularly 0.3-0.5 inch.Jian Wai Shu (SI 14), which 3 cun lateral to the spinous process of T1 (GV-13). Puncture perpendicularly 0.3-0.6 inch.Hua Tuo Jia Ji points, which locates at 0.5 to 1 cun lateral to the depressions below the spinous processes of the twelve thoracic and five lumbar vertebrae.Ashi point, which refers to acupoint selection in accordance with tenderness point.The urinary bladder channel on back.Wei Zhong (B 40), which locates at the middle of jarring mark in popliteal space.Houxi (SI3), which is at the end of a palm print. The depression at the back of the 5th Metacarpophalangeal joint is like a brook. Puncture perpendicularly 0.5-0.8 inch.Yanglingquan (GB34), which is at in a depression anterior and inferior to the head of the fibula. Puncture perpendicularly or obliquely 1-1.5 inch.

Acupuncture for back pain is a very simple yet effective back pain treatment. However, here is a just brief introduction. If you are interested in knowing more about acupuncture for neck and back pain, you can also refer to acupuncture for neck pain and other articles about acupuncture therapy.