Back pain (acupuncture for back pain) has now become a kind of widespread disease. It is one of the most common reasons to consult a doctor besides infectious diseases. As varied as the causes can be, one is usually faced with a mystery when treating them.
Back pain (acupuncture for back pain) is a painful condition that can occur in the various sections of the back. They can be classified into different degrees according to their predominant frequency. Acute back pain occurs either for the first time, suddenly or after a break of about six months.
They should not last longer than three months. Chronic, persistent back pain, on the other hand, takes up the largest part of everyday life and lasts longer than three months. The symptoms may recur or be temporary.
Back pain can also be divided into radical and pseudo-radicular pain according to its quality. Radicular pain (radicula – the root) is based on compression of the nerve root, as is the case with a herniated disc. Pseudoradicular pain (apparently more radicular) is caused by changes in the small joints of the spine.
About 60-80% of all women and in about 65-70% of all men suffer from back pain (acupuncture for back pain). In more than half of them there is a connection with their profession. Even children are already affected by back problems: 20% of primary school children suffer from back pain, only one third of all children still have a normal posture.
Over 75% of the complaints can be localised in the lumbar region. The lumbar spine with its five vertebrae is followed by the sacrum, which is articulated to the pelvis. If the pain affects this joint, it is called “back pain” (iliosacral complaints) or, according to the Latin name of the joint – sacroiliac joint (ISG) – also “sacroiliac (IGS) syndrome”.
In 25% of patients, back pain originates in the neck and neck region. The distribution of herniated discs follows the frequency of the localization of the pain. In the lumbar region they are therefore more frequent. Cure and disability applications are filed in over 60% of cases due to back pain and generate costs of about 49 billion Euros.
Causes
If you are looking for a cause of back pain (acupuncture for back pain), you will soon come across a very long list. In general, a distinction is made between organic (physical) and psychosomatic (caused by the “soul”) causes. Organic causes are for example : In addition, causes such as pregnancy, overweight and the large field of bad posture should be mentioned.
In the age of office work, job-related sitting, combined with the enormous comfort of the human being and the associated lack of movement, leads to wear and tear of the spine, muscle tensions or even to the reduction of the back muscles. Understandably, such circumstances often lead to back pain (acupuncture for back pain). Anxiety or stress situations increase the heartbeat in our body, blood pressure rises and with it blood circulation.
In addition, certain hormones and stress mediators are released. In case of permanent stress, psychosomatic disorders can occur, which in turn leads to a stressful situation in case of permanent pain. It is therefore easy to see how important it is to break this vicious circle by means of special psychotherapy.
Various studies have even been able to confirm the effectiveness of such therapies for chronic back problems. – Injury related (e.g. whiplash after a traffic accident, fracture of a vertebral body, rupture of a nerve root)
- Wear and tear and degeneration (e.g.
arthrosis – joint wear and tear, osteoporosis – bone loss, spondylosis – changes in the spinal column, incarceration of the spinal cord, stiffening of the spinal column, e.g. in ankylosing spondylitis, bone thickening, e.g. in Paget’s disease)
- Inflammation-related (e.g.
in the context of Lyme disease or syphilis, inflammation of the vertebral body spondylitis (spondylodiscitis), or of the intervertebral disc disciples, accumulation of pus on the skull near the spinal column -epidural abscess)
- Tumour-related (e.g. neurinoma – benign nerve fibre tumour, meningioma – tumour of the nerve sheath, tumours of the vertebral bodies outside the spinal cord, metastases of a tumour of the spinal cord)
- Metabolic (e.g. nerve inflammation in diabetics, demyelinating diseases (multiple sclerosis)
- Operation-related (e.g.
meningomyelocele – form of spina bifida; spinal cord and spinal membranes protrude from the spinal canal, pseudomeningocele – form of spina bifida; only spinal membranes protrude from the spinal canal)
- Mechanical causes (e.g. pinched nerve, injuries during operations)
- Poisoning (e.g. through withdrawal from alcohol, opiates or painkillers)
- Vascular changes (e.g.
pathological dilatation of the artery – aortic aneurysm, circulatory disorders in the spinal cord)
- Congenital (e.g. spina bifida – open spinal canal)
Initially, many affected people do not take the first signs or complaints (tension, fatigue and morning stiffness of the back or joints) seriously, ignore them or try to find relief through various countermeasures and relieving postures. However, this leads to exactly the opposite and usually makes the situation even worse. Bad posture and increasing pain follow.
At the beginning of every diagnosis is the individual anamnesis (history of the disease) of a patient. Targeted questions about the localisation and possibly radiating of the pain to other areas, such as the legs, the quality and intensity of the pain and its temporal occurrence as well as possible increase or decrease of the pain due to certain circumstances are absolutely necessary. No less important are questions about previous illnesses.
In our case, the treating person should ask about accompanying diseases such as osteoporosis (bone loss) or arthrosis (wear and tear of the joints). Furthermore, social circumstances such as job, partnership, family and stressful situations are also investigated. This thorough “interview” is followed by a physical examination, which can provide initial information.
For example, the position of the pelvis and shoulders, curvature of the spine and the overall posture can be seen from the outside. In addition, muscular strength, reflexes, sensations of touch (sensitivity) and the mobility of the joints, especially those of the spine, are checked. If these measures are not sufficient, additional technical methods such as X-rays, MRI (magnetic resonance imaging, nuclear spin), CT (computer tomography) and in special cases myelography (special form of X-ray imaging in which a contrast medium is injected into the spinal canal) are available.
In addition to a diagnosis that is “orthodox” in the conventional sense, an assessment of the symptoms according to the principles of Chinese medicine is necessary before acupuncture (acupuncture for back pain). Especially the assignment to the meridians (urinary or gallbladder meridians) is of great value. From the Chinese point of view, chronic back pain is often caused by an energetic weakness of the kidney.
Then one often finds cold feet and treats with moxibustion in addition to acupuncture. In this method, small stumps of dried mugwort are placed on the needles and lit. It is only used for patients who find warmth very pleasant when treating their pain. In some cases it may be necessary to apply a weak current (stimulation current) to the acupuncture needle.
