Featured Articles
Acupuncture Treatment for Back Pain
By Glenn Hensle L.Ac., QME
Back pain is one of the most common ailments in America and certainly among the ranks of peace officers. Often the condition is merely a back sprain, that is, the muscles of the back have been injured. This can be the result of repetitive small stresses like wearing the gun belt for long periods, or single incidence of trauma like chasing a suspect.
This kind of injury is similar to what can happen when you work out too long or too hard; the next day your muscles hurt. However, if you injure your bicep muscle working out it only hurts for a day or two while a back strain may become chronic. This is because of the constant demand put on these muscles. Whether you are sitting, standing, walking, running or bending, back muscles are in constant use. And that gun belt doesn’t help. If your arm hurts you can rest it throughout the day or limit the activities you do with that arm. The only way to rest the back is lying down, which is not S.O.P.
The best treatment would be a comprehensive one that: 1) stops pain 2) reduces inflammation 3) stabilizes the affected area 4) heals the injury 5) strengthens the area to prevent recurrence or future injury. Initially, apply ice for 15-20 minutes at a time during the first 24 to 48 hours after injury to reduce pain and inflammation. If the injury is over a couple of days old, heat may be more appropriate.
Anti-inflammatory pain medications such as Motrin or aspirin will also reduce pain and inflammation and should be taken as soon as possible and with some food in the stomach. Tylenol has no anti-inflammatory properties and is not the best choice here. While these medicines can stop the pain and inflammation temporarily, the pain will return because the underlying problem of muscle strain has not been addressed. When the pain returns you can take more pain medication but the long-term use of these medications can create problems worse than the back strain.
Acupuncture is a good treatment for this problem as it not only helps relieve the pain by stimulating the body’s natural pain killers (opoids and other peptides) but will also help the muscles to heal themselves more rapidly by activating the body’s immune system and increasing blood circulation to the injury. Electric stimulation (like a TENS unit only more effective) or cupping (the use of suction to relieve muscle spasms) may be added to further decrease pain and the amount of time needed for the muscles to heal. Again, make sure the acupuncturist is licensed in acupuncture: some M.D.s practice acupuncture with little or no training in acupuncture. Nearly all acupuncturists use sterile, disposable acupuncture needles, which are F.D.A. approved. These needles are very thin (about 0.25mm) and flexible.
Usually back pain stays in the back but some injuries can result in pain in other areas, most commonly down the leg. This condition is called sciatica and will be addressed in my next article. If you have any questions about this article or acupuncture in general please feel free to call me at (562) 997-0966. We are here to serve your needs.
