If you suffer from back pain you
probably would not consider acupuncture as a treatment until you have exhausted
many other alternatives. However, acupuncture is a type of ancient Chinese
medicine that's been around for over 2,500 years and throughout this time it
has been used for back pain relief, increasingly so in these modern times.
While it is not traditionally a part
of western medicine, nowadays your doctor is quite likely to send you for this
treatment if you are suffering from back or neck pain either persistantly or
due to accident or injury.
The general belief is that the body
has 20 energy flow patterns called meridians or pathways. There are over 2,000
points on our bodies that connect with these pathways and it is at these points
which the hair-thin needles are inserted, this is done in varying specific
combinations depending on the treatment required. These actions are
believed to
either correct the flow of qi or to reinforce it.
Even though it cannot be proven that
this works as a type of pain relief, it is thought that as a result the central
nervous system is stimulated. Most patients say that they get a pins and
needles sensation on the insertion of the needles and indeed into the duration
of the treatment, which usually lasts about 15 to 30 minutes. The practitioner
may turn the needles one way or another depending on what they are trying to
achieve, in my personal experience they were turned on insertion, then again
about half way through the treatment. At no point is the treatment painful,
there is a mere sensation of the needles going in and they do not feel sharp at
all, this is because unlike needles used for injections, an acupuncture needle
s tip come to a smooth point without sharp edges. They are also very thin,
about 20 times thinner than a hypodermic needle. In my experience the most
troublesome part of the treatment is lying in the same position without moving
for up to 30 minutes, especially if you suffer from back pain or similar.
Some adhere to the theories of qi
and meridians whilst others attribute acupunctures benefits to the biological changes that are
brought about in the body as a result of treatment.
