Acupuncture For Back Pain Points
Contents
Where are acupuncture needles placed for back pain?
Consultation – An acupuncture session begins with a consultation, during which the acupuncturist discusses the patient’s history and creates a plan that is tailored to the patient’s needs. For mid back pain, this typically involves the placement of needles along meridians in the thoracic spine, but needles may also be placed in other locations, such as the ears.
How many sessions of acupuncture do you need for back pain?
If you experience lower back pain, you are not alone. Eighty percent of adults experience low back pain at some point during their lifetime. The good news is that acupuncture can be an effective treatment. In 2017, the American Academy of Family Physicians recommended acupuncture as a first-line therapy for chronic back pain.
The process involves inserting fine needles along energetic channels called meridians, that follow along and affect the areas in the back that are causing pain. The acupuncture points may be found on the feet, legs and arms, in addition to the back. When an acupuncturist stimulates these points, the release of endorphins activates the body’s own opiate receptors, causing an analgesic effect.
Acupressure Self-Care for Low Back Pain
In other words, acupuncture helps to relieve pain. How often should you receive acupuncture for back pain? Acupuncture treatment can be scheduled twice weekly for several weeks, and then once a week as the back pain improves. The benefits of treatment build over the first 24 to 48 hours, with therapeutic benefits lasting about a week.
Patients may feel relief after the first acupuncture session and resolve completely after several treatments, depending on the severity of the back pain and how long it has been present. How long does it take to treat back pain with acupuncture? Chronic conditions may require 10 or 12 treatments and possibly recur at a reduced level of pain.
If increasing pain returns in the future, regular acupuncture can be helpful. Acupuncture and traditional Asian medicine have been used for thousands of years and have been very effective in treating pain and other health conditions. Given the concerns about strong and potentially habit-forming medications being used to mask pain, acupuncture stands out as a safe and nonaddicting alternative.
What are the 5 main acupuncture points?
Each of the 12 main meridians has, below the elbow or knee, five specific points, namely, Jing-Well, Ying-Spring, Shu-Stream, Jing-River and He-Sea, which are termed the five Shu points, as shown in Table 3.
Which finger to massage for anxiety?
3. Hegu (LI4) – To find the Hegu point, locate the webbed area between the thumb and index finger. Then move the fingers slightly down so that they are between the base of the thumb and index finger. Acupressure devotees say that Hegu can help with:
anxietypain headaches, especially tension headaches
Apply firm, circular pressure with the thumb for up to 5 minutes. Massage the point on both hands.
Is there a pressure point to relieve pain?
Pressure Point LI-4 (Hegu) – Pressure point LI-4 is also called Hegu (her-goo). It is found on the back of your hand. It is between the base of your thumb and index (pointer) finger (see Figure 1). Doing acupressure on this point can help with pain and headaches. Figure 1. Pressure point LI-4 on back of hand Do not do acupressure on this point if:
- You’re pregnant. Pressing on this point can make you go into labor.
- The skin at or near the point is peeling or blistering.
- There is an open wound at or near the point.
- There is a rash at or near the point.
- There is redness, swelling, warmth, or pus at or near the point.
