Low Back Pain

I see a decent amount of low back pain in my Northwest Arkansas acupuncture practice. It is one of the most common types of bodily pain and millions of people have it at some point in their life. Low back pain can be a tricky thing because there are as many treatments for low back pain as there are causes. Lucky for you, nearly 95% of back pain can be treated without surgery!

Causes of Low Back Pain

• trauma or injury
• muscle strain or ligament sprain
• tight muscles (abdominals, psoas, hamstrings, etc.)
• lumbar disc issue
• arthritis
• prolonged sitting
• constipation (yep!)

At Jade Path Acupuncture & Herbal Medicine we offer quite a few therapies to address the cause of your low back pain. There is no cookie cutter approach here, so your low back pain treatment will be tailored specifically for you.

Low back pain treatments at Jade Path

• Cupping or guasha – these therapies help break up adhesions in the fascia and improve circulation to the muscles

• Acupuncture – needling motor points can help reset and relax the muscles

• E-stim – adding a slight amount of electric stimulation to the needle improves the effectiveness of the acupuncture

• Moxabustion or TDP lamp – heat therapy increases blood flow and circulation to painful areas to help with cellular repair

• Herbal formulas – sometimes the problem may be internal. “Cold” muscles, constipation, and arthritis respond well to internal medicine

Here are some actions you can take to increase the likelihood of a pain free low back.

Lifestyle Tips

• Don’t sit for prolonged periods of time. If you have a desk or office job, make sure to get up and walk at least once every hour. Sitting shortens the muscles on the front of the hips and puts more pressure on the anterior part of the spine – making the disc bulge posteriorly.

• Get gentle exercise at least a few times a week and keep your abdominal muscles strong. Don’t forget to stretch!

• Act preventatively and visit me, your chiropractor, or masseuse before you’re in a lot of pain.

• Drink enough fluids to stay hydrated and eat enough fiber to have regular bowel movements.

• Take an epsom salt bath if you experience occasional soreness.

• Use a heat pack (not cold) if the pain is from an old injury. Read more HERE about heat vs ice.