ACUPUNCTURE AND BACKACHE
by London Acupuncture Practitioner Roisin Golding

For many, the onset of a bad back signals the start of old age.  You may be only thirty something but it’s embarrassing when you can’t help out, to push a car, move a bed, or even pick up your young son.  It can make you tired and irritable.  And it’s better than the proverbial headache when you want to say “not to-night, Josephine.” 

Not so long ago a patient with chronic back pain was recommended to me by his osteopath.  This elderly gentleman has suffered from pain since an accident to his spinal cord left him temporarily paralysed.

Excellent conventional medical care meant that he regained use of his muscles although he walks with a limp, his right leg and foot frequently go into spasm, and some muscles are partially wasted. He also has mild spasticity in his right hand.

This man would be appalled if he thought you were indulging in sympathy, for although in youth he excelled at sport (hence the accident), he has managed to create an exceptionally fulfilling life for himself. He has a high-powered job that frequently takes him half way around the world, and he still plays and wins at golf! 

Although he suffers from chronic pain, esp. since his job involves long aeroplane flights, not to mention those hotel special, super-soft, sink-in-the-middle mattresses, one gets the impression that he rarely mentions his pain outside of his medical consultations.  Moreover these he conducts during his yearly holidays.

I took a close look at his posture and saw typical compensatory muscle tensions. His shoulder was raised a good one and a half inches on the right, as if he was trying to pull his weak right foot up by the shoulder.  The muscles in his lumbar region were tense and ridged creating a ‘canal’ over his lower spine. Muscles on his left twisted his left shoulder forward. 

This was a heroic chap who was using all his muscles, many more than he actually needed, to make up for the loss on the weak side.  He probably wouldn’t have got very far in his life after the accident if he didn’t put this much effort in.  But after such strenuous effort and determination his muscles no longer knew how to relax.   

So what could be done for a patient like him?  Regular osteopathic treatments, especially the deep massage that goes with it, kept his back mobile and comfortable.  Unfortunately the effect didn’t last for long.  I was also unsure how effective acupuncture treatment would be, considering his injury was over 20 years old.  Nonetheless I aimed my acupuncture treatment at three aspects of his problem:  First, to deal with the pain.

Second, I used specific points to relax his muscles.  The traditional Chinese acupuncture view on this subject is deceptively simple.  It states that severe trauma causes the blood and Qi (or chi, often translated loosely as energy) to stagnate in the area causing a blockage and therefore pain. When the blockage is complete there is paralysis.  When the blockage prevents blood and Qi from nourishing the area adequately the muscles wither.

Now here of course I was making no attempt to bring back full functioning of his arm and leg. Serious accidents will always remain in the domain of competent Western medical doctors. There is, however, good evidence that acupuncture in the early days of recovery has an important role to play along with physiotherapy and the other complimentary treatments. There is also(controversially) some evidence to suggest that acupuncture can help regenerate nervous tissue.

In this case I was simply allowing the muscles to become relatively more relaxed by encouraging good circulation in the area.

Third, I made use of the traditional Chinese acupuncture theory on physical structure (meridian pathways) to balance his posture.

Three deceptively simple elements.  But did they work?  Happily, yes.  He came for a few acupuncture treatments after which he was walking better, his muscles were more relaxed and he no longer suffered from back pain (except during very long flights.)  A year later his back had remained good.

There’s a Chinese saying that goes something like this.  “See the spirit in the patient’s eyes.  If their spirit is strong they will be easy to cure.  If not, the prognosis is poor.” 

I am not claiming cure here.  We’re not talking miracles but a good adjustment within the limitations of a diseased body. If something has gone for good it has gone.

 

Common causes of back pain: chronic poor posture, over-strain, especially after a period of inactivity, osteoarthritis (which means wear and tear on the bones), osteoporosis (weakening of the bone density, most commonly caused by old age in women and prolonged cortisone therapy), obesity, pregnancy, physical trauma, ruptured intervertebral disc. 

Anyone who puts serious strain on his or her back for a living (long distance lorry drivers, warehouse workers, plumbers, etc.) should really invest in a re-education program, such as that taught by Alexandra teachers.  Tai Chi can also make us superbly aware of our posture as well as bolster the vital energy that strengthens our back.