If you are searching for acupuncture for lower back pain near me, you have come to  the right place.  At my acupuncture clinic in Mesa, AZ, acupuncture is an extremely effective treatment for low back pain.  Just about everyone has experienced the misery of low back pain at some point in their life.  In fact, low back pain is one of the top reasons people make an appointment with their doctor.  If not addressed properly, low back pain can progress to a chronic and ongoing problem for years and years.  The good news is that acupuncture can help relieve acute and chronic low back pain as well as sciatica.

There are many causes of low back pain.  Lifting heavy objects, sudden awkward movements or even simply bending over to tie shoes can strain low back muscles or sprain ligaments. Often the muscles around the small joints of the lumbar vertebrae (facet joints) can go into spasm causing the facet joints to lock causing pain and loss of mobility.  Sitting for hours at a time, bending forward, bending and twisting places a great deal of pressure on the discs between the vertebrae.  This excess pressure on the discs can cause the disc to bulge, herniate or even rupture, which presses on a nerve and causes pain.  As we grow older the discs between the vertebrae shrink creating less space between the vertebrae which can also irritate a nerve and cause pain.  Arthritis and bone spurs occur with aging or trauma and cause pain.

How Does Acupuncture Help Lower Back Pain?

Acupuncture not only alleviates lower back pain, but also address the root cause of low back pain so it is less likely to recur.  Acupuncture alleviates muscle spasms so that the spine is able to move freely again.  Acupuncture for low back pain decreases inflammation in the painful area. Inflammation irritates nerves causing more pain and muscle spasm. Acupuncture also signals the body to produce it’s own pain relieving substances (endorphins).  It also increases circulation and speeds the healing of injured muscles and ligaments.

You may be asking if sciatica can be treated with acupuncture and the answer is yes!  Acupuncture helps sciatica by alleviating pressure on  the irritated nerve root.  It also sends a surge of natural pain relieving endorphins to the low back as well as changing how the brain and spinal cord process pain signals.

Another way acupuncture helps lower back pain is by eliminating trigger points and the pain they cause.  Trigger points taut bands in the muscles that when activated refer pain to other areas of the body.  Certain trigger points cause low back pain and mimic sciatica.  Below is an example of trigger points in the quadratus lumborum muscle (marked with a T) that refer pain to the lower back, buttocks and back of the thigh (marked by red dots).

Pain is a sign that something is wrong.  Pain medication masks the pain but does not treat the cause of low back pain and  often causes liver and kidney damage.  Acupuncture provides long term pain relief without harmful side effects.

My free E-book 3 Ways to Heal Chronic has valuable information to help reduce low back pain. You can find it on the upper right of this post.  If you would like to experience how acupuncture can help your low back pain call 480-832-0966.

Stay well,

Dr. D