Acupuncture for relief of back pain.
Let’s talk about back pain. From achy stiff back in the morning to severe debilitating throbbing, back pain is the most common ailment for people. Chronic back pain accounts for 50 to 80 billion dollars spent every year on health treatments.
This series of articles will discuss some of the common reasons for back pain. To provide successful pain relief with acupuncture, there are many facets of your life and postural mechanisms to be reviewed.
How many times have you heard the stories of people experiencing sudden back pain? Maybe your back pain came on suddenly? You bent over to pick up a bag of groceries or lifting a child and abruptly your back is in pain. There are several explanations why you are suffering from back pain.
First important cause of back pain:
Bad Posture
What’s good posture? Good posture is maintain position where gravity is evenly distributed down through the spine and into the legs and feet. A healthy back has three curves to distribute the weight of the upper body. Good posture allows the curves to balance and redirect the forces of gravity.
What’s bad posture? Bad posture is deviations in the body’s ability distribute gravity. The most common bad postures is hunched shoulders, slumped back and crossing the legs. With bad posture, muscle imbalances create postural quirks that lead to muscle strains, spinal disc injuries and joint misalignment.
Who is at high risk for bad posture?
1) People who sit and lean forward such as drivers and office workers.
Overall sitting is more likely result in back pain. Often in office jobs, people will lean forward to reach their computers and phones. Leaning forward puts pressure on the soft discs between vertebrae. Over time the soft discs wears down and herniation can occur with minor stress to the back. The office worker who sits all week and then does intense workouts (ie: weekend warrior), is combination for a back injury.
2) Twisting motions – sports related twisting (golf, baseball and racket ball sports) or sudden movement requiring twisting and lifting.
Especially with awkwardly shaped objects, twisting the torso and lifting a heavy item can result in a back injury. The twisting action changes the force of gravity in the spine allowing for muscles, ligaments and discs to tear. Repetitive twisting in sports can result in spasms and shortening of the back muscles, which allow for easy damage to the area.
How does poor posture lead to chronic back pain?
Someone with poor posture, the pressure of gravity places excess strain on the muscles, ligaments and discs of the back. As time passes, the misplaced force alters how muscles function and support the spine. Alterations can lead to structural changes to the discs and ligaments surrounding the spine, causing mild to moderate back pain.
Part of the treatment process at Ridgefield Acupuncture is to observe your postural alignment to optimize pain relief. By balancing muscle groups with acupuncture, to improve your posture and redirect gravity, you can recover from back pain. Some clients will need corrective home exercises to help reinforce the acupuncture treatment. Our aim at Ridgefield Acupuncture is to empower the client so you can heal.