In my last article, I talked about lumbar herniated disc and exercises to relief pain and improve recovery of herniated disc. In our Mesa AZ Chiropractic clinic, I treat chiropractic patients with acupuncture as well as chiropractic adjustment and therapeutic exercises. As a chiropractic physician with a background in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) I would like to share with you my knowledge and experiences treating herniated disc condition using acupuncture.
Disc protrusion/herniated disc could be caused by trauma/injury, and age-related degenerated change which causes the loss of the water content inside the spinal disc. The dehydrated disc contents shift out, pinch the spinal nerve root nearby, causing pain, numbness tingling and weakness of the low back and lower extremities. Common signs and symptoms of disc protrusion or herniated disc include:
Mild pain in the low back
Numbness, radiated pain and weakness of buttock, legs and feet.
Shooting pain increase when coughing or sneezing.
According to TCM theory, one of the important etiologies of herniated disc is kidney and liver deficiency. When I talk about deficiency, what I am talking about is based on the energetic level of the meridian/energy pathway that related to the organ and body tissue. The TCM define the 12 meridian/energy channels flow around the body. The kidney and the liver meridian channel are flowing from the lower leg to the abdomen which is right near the bladder channel (the bladder channel is running through from the feet and right across the lower back region) As an important component of the TCM principle, acupuncture treatment is to improve the flow of the energy along the nerve pathway, and maintain the balance of your body and the mind. To solve the problems of the deficiency of kidney and liver, a common treatment protocol called the Eight Needle Technique is usually what I use on patients with herniated disc. Eight acupuncture needles will be inserted to the eight acupuncture points (the selected strategic points) along two sides of the lower back region. The goal of the treatment is to reinforce and balance the kidney energy/Qi (pronounced chee) reduce pain and inflammation, and promote the absorption of the herniated disc back to the normal position. For general treatment, I will have the needle retained for about 15 to 20 minutes.
Acupuncture has been practiced in China for thousands of years. In his historic 1910 book “The Art and Science of Chiropractic” the founder of chiropractic D. D. Palmer use a full page to introduce “Queer notions of the Chinese” in which the term “acupuncture” was mentioned. Acupuncture has been popularly practiced in the United States since President Richard Nixon’s delegation to China in 1972 when the press reported its use in China.
As a Chiropractic and acupuncture practitioner practice in the wonderful Mesa area, my goal is to work with your health issues and help you reach the best result. If you have any questions, please contact me. I would be happy to explain to you the principles of acupuncture and Chiropractic, and how they can help with your health issues. I am available during weekday and weekend, 7 days a week. Call today and schedule an appointment for a complementary acupuncture and chiropractic consultation.
