-Low back pain is one of the leading causes of missed work and one of the most common pain complaints. The causes of low back pain are many, including injury, wear and tear on the body, and certain medical conditions. The acupuncture team from Intuitive Acupuncture, San Luis Obispo recently released a report summarizing the most common causes of low back pain and some of the significant studies showing that acupuncture is an effective treatment for low back pain.

The most common causes of low back pain include:

• Accident and injury.
• Weight gain.
• Sitting for long periods and poor biomechanics.
• Lack of exercise and flexibility.
• Certain diseases and genetic conditions.

All of these causes can contribute to wear and tear on the spine, disc dysfunctions, fractures, spondylolisthesis when the vertebrae move more than normal pressing on spinal nerves, stenosis when the space around the spinal cord narrows, and loss of muscle strength that is needed to support the spine.

Some diseases and conditions such as osteoarthritis, scoliosis, kidney stones, pregnancy, fibromyalgia, endometriosis, ovarian cysts, infections, and in rare cases, tumors can also cause back pain.

Back pain can come on suddenly as the result of an injury, or gradually, starting with an occasional twinge and some morning stiffness. Impingement on certain nerves, such as the sciatica nerve can cause leg pain and, depending on the nerves affected, even weakness in the legs. Some people bounce back after a few days of rest after a weekend of water skiing or gardening. Others suffer for months or years with little relief. Regardless of one’s tolerance to pain, low back pain is uncomfortable and can be debilitating, even for a short time.

No one wants to be in pain. Intuitive Acupuncture San Luis Obispo provides leading services for pain relief through acupuncture and an integrative, holistic approach to health and wellbeing. The results of many studies about the effectiveness of acupuncture for pain management have been widely reported. One source of information from these studies is the National Institute of Health’s online National Library of Medicine (NLB). Some interesting results that support the role of acupuncture in low back pain management from the NLB include:

• Acupuncture For Lower Back Pain Improved Quality of Sleep and Pain Relief—A study at a Swedish university hospital showed a significant improvement in return to work, quality of sleep, and analgesic intake in subjects treated with acupuncture.
• Acupuncture for chronic low back pain in the long-term follow-up—Acupuncture was reported to be effective in providing symptomatic relief of chronic low back pain in an analysis of 13 randomized controlled trials involving 2678 patients.
• Acupuncture for chronic low back pain in routine care: a multicenter observational study—In this study, acupuncture showed a 30% decrease in the number of missed days of work due to pain. Patients in the study also showed a decrease in the number of days they experienced pain.

One of the basic principles of acupuncture and Chinese medicine is that when one part of the body is injured or diseased, the entire being is affected. It’s important to treat the whole self for a return to health and well-being. Along with treating low back pain, the Intuitive Acupuncture San Luis Obispo clinic provides treatments for the body and mind through an integrated approach that addresses a wide range of conditions such as chronic pain, fibromyalgia, fatigue, back pain, musculoskeletal pain, arthritis, migraines, and other headaches, stress and anxiety, women’s health, men’s health, gastrointestinal issues, and addictions. The clinic also offers helpful Traditional Chinese Medicine therapies such as herbal therapy, cupping, massage therapy, moxibustion, Tuina/acupressure, and Gua Sha. Massage and nutritional therapies are also available from licensed private practitioners.

Intuitive Acupuncture
1025 Pacific St
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
(805) 459-6561