Omaha's Best

 

 

Acupuncture for back pain is extremely effective. In fact, it is one of the most common conditions we treat here at 4 Paths.  Like with any condition, the doctor does a consultation to determine what he thinks you as a patient would specifically need.  This varies for everyone!  

 

There are many situations that could cause back pain including: disc inflammation or “slipping”, back injuries, sciatica pain and disc herniation.  Surrounding muscles guarding the spine can splint or become in a guarded state that can cause discomfort and pain.  Acupuncture is highly effective in treating the upper and lower back whether chronic or acute.

 

SOME CAUSES OF BACK PAIN INCLUDE:

•        Back Injuries

•        Decreased Mobility

•        Post surgical rehabilitation

•        Arthritis

•        Osteoporosis

•        Degenerative Disc Disease

•        Lumbar Disc Problems

•        Sciatica

•        Spinal Stenosis

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Back Injuries

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For literally thousands of years Acupuncture has been used to treat back injuries ranging from muscle strains to spine pain caused by nerve damage or disc challenges.  While treatment is used to bring balance back away from a painful & inflammatory state it’s also used for structural recovery. The goal is to bring the body back to it’s pre-injury state.

 

Many patients start noticing a difference in their pain levels after just a handful of sessions.  As with all patients, each individual case must be assessed further to accurately give a prognosis and estimate on length of care.

 

 

Degenerative Disc Disease

Degenerative changes happen to all of us.  It’s just the nature of the human body. Sometimes it shows up as loss of height.   In others it may be muscle tightness and rigidity that compress the spinal segments which impinges nerves and results in pain and inflammation.

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Upper & Low Back Pain

There are many facets of low back pain from a simple muscle strain to a much more complex picture involving spinal nerves and boney structure. Acupuncture has the capability of interfacing in virtually all areas either as a main intervention or as a supplemental therapy such as in the rehabilitation after surgery.

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Lumbar Disc Problems

Disc injuries can be caused or exacerbated by a number of factors including: Degenerative Disc Disease (DDD) Bulging or herniated disc - also known as ruptured, torn, slipped, collapsed or protruding discs.

The primary cause of pain in these cases is a change of the normal orientation of the nerve to the surrounding tissue. When the disc is protruding it can press on the nerve causing pain at the sight of the impingement and further along the course of the nerve (into the buttocks or down the leg, even to the foot). A collapsed disc is unable to hold the vertebrae in place allowing them to press on the nerve.

Acupuncture does not repair a collapsed or bulging disc, but by reducing associated inflammation in the area and reducing pain through both local (at the nerve and nerve root) and systemic (at the spinal cord and brain) pathways is often able to significantly reduce pain.

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What causes lumbar disk disease?

Lumbar disk disease is caused by a change in the structure of the normal disk. Most of the time, disk disease happens as a result of aging and the normal break down that occurs within the disk. Sometimes, severe injury can cause a normal disk to herniate. Injury may also cause an already herniated disk to worsen. (www.hopkinsmedicine.org)

 

What are the symptoms of lumbar disk disease?

The symptoms of lumbar disk disease vary depending on where the disk has herniated, and what nerve root it is pushing on. These are the most common symptoms of lumbar disk disease:

·       Intermittent or continuous back pain. This may be made worse by movement, coughing, sneezing, or standing for long periods of time

·       Spasm of the back muscles

 

·       Sciatica – pain that starts near the back or buttock and travels down the leg to the calf or into the foot

 

·       Muscle weakness in the legs

 

·       Numbness in the leg or foot

 

·       Decreased reflexes at the knee or ankle

 

·       Changes in bladder or bowel function

The symptoms of lumbar disc disease may look like other conditions or medical problems. Always see your healthcare provider for a diagnosis.

Acupuncture's re-balancing properties also help in rehabilitation of injury by reinforcing movement patterns that are less likely to cause injury.

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Sciatica

The sciatic nerve is a large nerve that originates from several spinal segments in the low back and passes through the large muscles of the glutes and underneath a smaller muscle called the piriformis. Inflammation of this large nerve that can be quite painful and unrelenting causing sciatica. Acupuncture treatments are aimed at the musculature, pain and at the inflammation of the nerve.

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