Acupuncture can be effective in providing pain relief. It is a Traditional Chinese Medicine therapy where practitioners insert thin needles, gently apply pressure, and provide warmth to the injured area. The aim of acupuncture is to improve blood circulation and redirect the flow of "qi" to help patients reduce pain and discomfort.
This article will look into the benefits of acupuncture for back pain.
Based in Hong Kong, Health Wise has over thirty years of clinical experience, and we aim to continue to deliver the best Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine treatments in the city. Learn more at our acupuncture page.
If you are interested in booking an appointment, contact us today, our friendly staff will be happy to help you. Call +852 2526 7908 or email info@chinesemed.hk.
Article Contents:
Acupuncture For General Pain Relief
The use-cases of Acupuncture are recognized in over one hundred countries. Approximately 3 to 6 million Americans undergo acupuncture therapy every year.
Acupuncture can help patients to manage perioperative and postoperative pain (pain around the time of, and after surgery), as well as visceral pain (pain associated to the internal organs in the midline of the body).
Research analyzing 29 studies from 18,000 participants showed that Acupuncture was effective in providing pain relief, by reducing symptoms of pain by approximately 50% amongst patients.
Learn more in the following video below about how acupuncture can have a therapeutic effect on chronic neck pain, joint pain, and migraines.
In the next section, we shall take a look at the research on acupuncture for back pain.
Acupuncture For Back Pain Research
Approximately 8 out of every 10 people will experience back pain at some point in their life. It is more common amongst working adults from the ages of 35 to 55, with a higher prevalence in women. Back pain also happens to be one of the most common injuries amongst patients seeking acupuncture therapy.
Can acupuncture really help?
Published in 2015, a thorough systematic review on acupuncture found evidence that acupuncture therapy provided short-term clinically relevant benefits for pain relief and functional improvement when compared with no treatment for patients suffering from chronic low back pain. In addition, genuine acupuncture produced a clinically significant reduction in pain when compared to sham acupuncture.
The positive effects of acupuncture are thought to come from stimulating the central nervous system and triggering the release of chemicals into the muscles, spinal cord, and brain. By doing so, acupuncture therapy can help to alter the experience of pain and produce bodily changes that promote a sense of well-being.
Case Study
Let's take a look at a 2-year case study of acupuncture on a patient whose low back pain was unresponsive to medications:
A 28-year-old patient arrived with low back pain radiating down his left leg due to disc herniation. It had started 4 months prior when he sneezed and suddenly felt intense pain in his mid-back. He had approximately 20 sessions of combined physical therapy and chiropractic treatments, as well as 2 epidural injections. The pain could not be effectively eliminated, and physical activity including bending forward while sitting would make the pain worse.
Acupuncture and fascial manipulation needle techniques were applied. In the first phase of treatment, the patient received acupuncture treatment at a frequency of 1 to 2 times every week for half a year. This was followed by weekly visits for a year in the second phase of treatment.
The pain in the patient’s lower back, left buttocks, and posterior thigh decreased from 7 to 2 on a 10-point numerical pain scale. The patient reported that they felt the treatment was more effective than the previous physical therapy and spinal injections that he had received.
Acupuncture helped to manage the symptoms that had previously adversely affected the patient’s quality of life. Acupuncture treatment should be a consideration for those who have not found relief with other therapeutic methods.
Please see the ful case study here
Health Wise
Health Wise has over thirty years of clinical experience, and we aim to continue to deliver the best Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine treatments in Hong Kong. In 2021, our Practitioner Dr. Troy Sing won gold for Best TCM Practitioner in Hong Kong.
The clinic provides crafted individual treatments to address each patient’s internal landscape. At HealthWise, you’ll receive a 60-minute initial consultation and acupuncture treatment with custom-made formulas for your body's constitution.
We aim to provide a caring and compassionate environment. To allow you to tell your story and not just recite medical results and outcomes.
Health Wise provides personalized treatment plans for:
PAIN MANAGEMENT
Dedicated Care With Meaningful Results
Our approach is deeply rooted in Classical Chinese Medicine, yet integrates seamlessly with the Western medical care that our patients receive. We look forward to joining you on your journey.
Dr. Troy Sing
Troy Sing is a Hong Kong Registered Practitioner of Chinese Medicine who has over thirty years of extensive clinical experience in Pain management, Reproductive Medicine, Gynecology, and Andrology. A graduate of Australia’s Chinese Medicine Degree (acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, neuromuscular massage) Program, he has also completed a Masters in neuro-physiology investigating the analgesic mechanisms of acupuncture (1995).
Troy's publications include ‘The Analgesic Mechanisms of Acupuncture, Journal of Chinese Medicine, 1996; and co-author of ‘Health Beauty & Vitality: A woman’s Guide to Chinese medicine’ 2004. He has held the post of the course coordinator and lecturer at the University of Hong Kong’s Traditional Chinese Medicine Department (S.P.A.C.E.) (1997-2001). President of the Hong Kong Medical Acupuncture Association (2002-2005). Further post-graduate studies include Gynecology, Reproductive medicine, Andrology, and Sports Science.
Over the last decade, the most influential courses he has completed include SiYuan Balance Method Acupuncture level 1 (Dr. Eileen Han Ph.D.), Pulsynergy Herbology Level 1-IV (Dr. Jimmy Chang), NeiJing Acupuncture (Dr. Ed Neal MD), and HunYuan Chinese Herbal Medicine (Dr. Yaron Seidman Ph.D.).
Learn More About Chinese Medicine
Visit our Health Wise Blog, we have a number of informative articles to help our patients. Here's a series of articles that we think may be beneficial:
We aim to continue to provide more useful Traditional Chinese Medicine & Acupuncture information at our Health Wise Chinese Medicine's Newsletter page.
Visit this link here to find other blog articles.
Keep up to date with our latest articles by following our social media!
#chinesemed.hk
