Neck and Back Pain

Back Pain
Acupuncture can treat a wide variety of causes of back pain. Bulging disks, strained muscles, back spasms, nerve inflammation, can all benefit from acupuncture and/or Chinese herbs.
In Chinese medicine the strength of the back is related to the kidneys which are weakened by overwork, too much sex, inactivity, and a poor diet. So regardless of the cause of your back pain it is always wise to support the kidneys to allow for the best healing to occur. So do not overwork yourself mentally or physically, refrain from sexual activity more than 3-4 a week, and limit alcohol, coffee and salt intake until the back regains its strength.

Neck and Shoulder Pain
Neck pain often comes in combination with other problems like headaches, back pain, shoulder pain and even tingling or numbness down the arms. Acupuncture and/or Chinese herbs can provide relief from these symptoms.
Stress is often an important factor in treating neck pain because of the way we hold ourselves when under stress. Many of us tend to scrunch up our shoulders and hunch over toward our computer screens. After many hours our muscles scream at us to stop. By then its too late and you need to come in for a tune up. Luckily acupuncture also provides stress relief as well as relieving pain.

How Does Chinese Medicine Work for Neck and Back Pain?
Acupuncture works from the outside to regulate the body by releasing tight muscles, calming nerve inflammation, and relaxing spasms.
Pain is the result of "Qi," your body's energy, not flowing smoothly. Obstructed Qi can be the result of an injury, overstrain, stress, weakness, inherited tendencies or a combination of these factors.
Sometimes herbal treatment is necessary to nourish and relax the muscles from the inside to alleviate pain. Traditional herbal formulas to treat back and neck pain are available in capsules or a customized formula tailored to your individual needs can be provided in powder form to take as a tea.
Additional modalities that accompany acupuncture may be used like cupping, moxibustion, heat lamp, or electric stimulation of the needles. Cupping uses suction to stimulate blood flow, moxibustion (moxa) and the heat lamp use heat to alleviate pain and stimulate blood and qi flow, and electric stimulation uses a pulsing action to stimulate or sedate nerve sensation and muscle tension.

What Results Can You Expect?
The results depend on a variety of factors such as severity and nature of your pain. There is no easy way to determine what your results will be. However, you should feel some improvement by the fourth or fifth treatment to justify continuing your treatment. After the first treatment you may feel immediate improvement, improvement over a period of days, no change, or a flare-up of symptoms followed by an improvement. Everyone's body will react in its own way. The best way to find out what will happen is to try it!

Where Will The Needles Be Inserted?
The acupuncture needles will be inserted into the areas of pain and in other acupuncture points related to your condition. These other points may be far from your area of pain.
view acupuncture point chart

Will It Hurt?
Most of the time there is little to no sensation when the needles are inserted. Occasionally a sensitive spot is found that can sting but the feeling fades quickly. After the needles are inserted they are often stimulated with gentle movements to achieve a "qi sensation." This is a tingly, warm, sensation that is not painful.
Acupuncture is often less painful than a massage or acupressure for an injury because acupuncture does not exert pressure on the body but the needles go deep into the muscle or "knot" in a way that no massage, shiatsu, or acupressure can.