Acupuncture for Back Pain
Back pain can affect anyone at any age. Indeed, most people will experience it at some point in their lives with 1 in 6 Australians being affected by it each year. (1).Most commonly it is related to the way the vertebrae, discs, tendons, muscles and ligaments within the entire region of the back function together (2).
Acupuncture for Back Pain: A Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Approach
Clinically people present with differing symptoms and causes of their back pain. For some, it can be as subtle as a persistent dull ache. For others however, it can be extremely intense, manifesting as a sharp, stabbing sensation. Some back pain comes on suddenly and is a direct a result of a sprain or other trauma. Whilst other back pain can be insidious and progress slowly. Usually this type of back pain is related to the degenerative changes that can occur in the spinal column as we age.
Acute vs Chronic Back Pain
For many people back pain is an acute condition, lasting anywhere from a couple of days to a few weeks. Often it resolves itself or responds well to treatment. By contrast, chronic back pain by definition, usually persists for 12 weeks or longer or unfortunately for some sufferers, indefinitely (2). Indeed, there are many people who deal with chronic back pain on a daily basis. Not only can the pain be extremely debilitating it can also be very incapacitating. Although there are treatment options available to these patients in the form of medications or surgery these are not effective in all cases. Hence for some sufferers, in the pursuit of finding some relief for their condition, alternative forms of treatment such as acupuncture are often sought out.
Current research : Acupuncture for Lower Back Pain
Current research indicates that acupuncture can be an effective treatment for lower back pain. Specifically it validates its abilities to provide pain relief and improve function. For example, Liu l et al determined that acupuncture alone, or in combination with conventional care, led to an improvement in pain and function for chronic low back pain in the short term. They recommended that it should be routinely promoted in clinical practice (3). Furthermore two other studies purported acupuncture as being a cost effective option for the treatment of lower back pain including chronic lower back pain (4,5).
References
1 Health Direct
2 National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
3 Liu L, Skinner M, McDonough S, Mabire L, Baxter GD. Acupuncture for low back pain: an overview of systematic reviews. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2015;2015:328196.
4. Andronis L, Kinghorn P, Qiao S, Whitehurst DG, Durrell S, McLeod H. Cost-Effectiveness of Non-Invasive and Non-Pharmacological Interventions for Low Back Pain: a Systematic Literature Review. Appl Health Econ Health Policy. 2016 Aug 22.
5. Taylor P, Pezzullo L, Grant SJ, Bensoussan A. Cost-effectiveness of Acupuncture for Chronic Nonspecific Low Back Pain. Pain Pract. 2014 Sep;14(7):599-606.
Contact Us
Please call the clinic on 0407 946 799 for any enquires or bookings or fill out the form below.
Innate Harmony
2/228 Clarendon St, East Melbourne
ABOUT INNATE HARMONY
Welcome to the Innate Harmony website: the website of Danielle Baker, Registered Acupuncturist (AHPRA). Danielle has been providing acupuncture services in East Melbourne for over 15 years. She offers expertise and experience utilising Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese medicine to address a wide range of health concerns with a particular emphasis on women’s health, fertility, stress management and pain related disorders.
Service Areas
Melbourne CBD, East Melbourne, South Yarra, Fitzroy, Carlton, Hawthorn, Kew, Prahran, Abbotsford, Clifton Hill, Collingwood, Toorak, Brunswick, Richmond.
ACUPUNCTURE SERVICES
Services Provided
Acupuncture
Electro Acupuncture
Herbal Medicine (Pill and capsule formulas)
Moxibustion
Chinese Dietary Therapy
Lifestyle Advice
Food as Medicine
To find out more about the conditions we treat, please call us on 0407 946 799 to speak to Danielle directly or complete the online form.
CONNECT
Service Hours
Monday to Friday: 10.00am to 7.00pm
Saturday: 8.30am to 3.00pm
(IVF support treatments available outside these hours by appointment)
Address: 2/228 Clarendon St, East Melbourne. 3002.
Phone: 0407 946 799
Email: [email protected]