Acupuncture - does it work?

G

gov

Senior member
Had backache on and off for years - like most people just live with it but for the last few weeks its developed into sciatica - goes all down right leg and makes walking very painful. I don't like taking any prescribed drugs but it is becoming a bit of a nightmare so I need to do something - anyone tried acupuncture ? or homeopathic remedy ?

If I was a horse they'd shoot me !
 
My Mum tried acupuncture for a sore arm, which was caused by long term weight bearing and work. (Poor Mum). I think it lasted a little while - maybe days or weeks. But it works differently for different people.

I would try it if needed. No harm in, as long as therpist is qualified and experienced in my opinion.

Think nerves and pressure points have something to do with it. And I believe this sort of alternative medicine has it's place. Real docs might argue otherwise but I'm a scientist by trade so makes no sense why I think this anyway :)
 
Have a good friend who suffers from backache ,he swears by it so much that he's back on his motorbike after a few years when he couldnt face the pain !
 
Physio was the best route for me

I had, infact still have two prolapsed discs in the upper and lower spine. (This is what you probably have, in short the disc has either bulged or burst so putting pressure on a nerve and the area has become inflamed)

I tried a chiropractor, osteopath, acupuncture and finally a physio. Thankfully after 2 months of physio the pain in my left arm and leg went away. But yes it's a killer as its route nerve pain so no pill taking will make it go away.

Worth noting - During bad bouts I used ice packs directly on the area where the prolapsed discs are. Also sleep on my side with a pillow between your knees (sound odd but it does help)


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Thanks for ideas - I'll try them all - in the meantime I'll polish the zed as I'm told exercise is always good for backache!
 
I had an ex girl friend that got one of those Voodo dolls and put some of my hairs on it then stuck pins in it..it bloody hurt...but i got my own back...i went for acupuncture...see how the little f.cker like it!!!
 
My wife tried physio, prescribed drugs etc after a serious car accident that fused 3 or her vertebrae in her spine. She still suffered bad backache for years. She now does a mix of gentle massage (from a qualified masseur, not me) and accupuncture about twice a year and it relieves the pressure so much she is usually symptom free for months after each treatment. Well worth trying, but get a referral from your GP for a licensed practitioner


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It can help, but there's no scientific basis for how it works that i know of other than non-specific effects, aka placebo effects.
 
Wife has acupuncture from time to time for her joints and believes that it works............ mind you she believes the boll**** I tell her about the running costs of my toys :oops:
 
Ewazix said:
Wife has acupuncture from time to time for her joints and believes that it works............ mind you she believes the boll**** I tell her about the running costs of my toys :oops:
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:D
 
I'm a believer! Do make sure you see a proper practitioner though. There are an awful lot of charlatans about.


Tapatalking...
 
Girlfriend has had chiropractic treatment for a bad back which did wonders. Acupuncture for bad shoulder and elbow, also working.
As said above, so long as it's done right can't do any harm. If you try the chiropractor try and find one which massages first, warms up the muscles which makes it less of a shock and easier recovery from the bone cracking!

Good luck getting it fixed
 
Thanks - will definately try these ideas - anything is better than some of the prscribed drugs - Forgot to add I went to my doctor last week as a last resort - he prescribed a drug call naproxen but because it has serious side effects he also added a second drug to counter these effects - after 3 days the pain was no better and after seeing the horror stories on the internet of people who have taken naproxen I've stopped taking them.

Thanks again
 
gov said:
Thanks - will definately try these ideas - anything is better than some of the prscribed drugs - Forgot to add I went to my doctor last week as a last resort - he prescribed a drug call naproxen but because it has serious side effects he also added a second drug to counter these effects - after 3 days the pain was no better and after seeing the horror stories on the internet of people who have taken naproxen I've stopped taking them.

Thanks again
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I have naproxen prescribed for a rebuilt knee... used it intermittently for about a year with no side effects. I only need to take a dosage when the pain/swelling hits, so is pretty quick. If you've been using it for 3 days with no help, I would go back and ask for something else.
 
Many back problems start when you strain a muscle in your back and the muscle then goes into spasm (contracted state). Unless you treat the muscle spasm (massage and move the back muscles) you then adopt a posture which maintains the posture of your back that you have when the strained muscle is in spasm. Since this is a physical problem you require a recognised physical treatment to remedy the problem, such as physiotherapy or osteopathy, to properly manipulate the affected region and get everything back to normal. A good physiotherapist/osteopath knows exactly where the source of the problem lies and because they are properly trained in anatomy and physiology, they understand exactly how to move your painful muscles/ligaments (which you have avoided doing yourself) to break the cycle of spasm and pain avoidance which would otherwise persist to maintain the back problem. If you undergo a course of physiotherapy/osteopathy possibly coupled with taking NSAID painkillers (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) you will generally find that many back conditions/sciatica will improve dramatically.

I wonder if acupunture would work on cars? If it does, it'll be cheaper than conventional car repair bills. 8)
 
exdos said:
Many back problems start when you strain a muscle in your back and the muscle then goes into spasm (contracted state). Unless you treat the muscle spasm (massage and move the back muscles) you then adopt a posture which maintains the posture of your back that you have when the strained muscle is in spasm. Since this is a physical problem you require a recognised physical treatment to remedy the problem, such as physiotherapy or osteopathy, to properly manipulate the affected region and get everything back to normal. A good physiotherapist/osteopath knows exactly where the source of the problem lies and because they are properly trained in anatomy and physiology, they understand exactly how to move your painful muscles/ligaments (which you have avoided doing yourself) to break the cycle of spasm and pain avoidance which would otherwise persist to maintain the back problem. If you undergo a course of physiotherapy/osteopathy possibly coupled with taking NSAID painkillers (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) you will generally find that many back conditions/sciatica will improve dramatically.

I wonder if acupunture would work on cars? If it does, it'll be cheaper than conventional car repair bills. 8)
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Agree wholeheartedly!
 
I have tried acupuncture. My physio actually used accupuncture on me during physio sessions too, and he's the physio for a national basketball team. And I have to say it does help. Definetly helps to relieve the tension in the muscles.

But personally I find Thai massage to be the most effective. They really get in and manipulate the muscles back into place, for me 1 session was more effective than months of physio. I also have an impacted disc like ranski (too much rugby was my downfall) and i ride to work so often get tight hami's/quads too... And i can't say enough about the Thai massage. Sometimes they make you wanna scream out in pain tho... Lol
 
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