Case Study: Acupuncture for Chronic Lower Back Pain

Introduction

Mike is a 53-year-old financial advisor who is active in his town’s men’s football league. He also enjoys hiking, mountain biking, road cycling, tennis, and pickleball. He has added yoga to his rotation since his back has been giving him trouble, and the stretching seems to help his pain. When he’s not out enjoying the outdoors, Mike works long hours from home, and tries to be conscientious about appropriate posture and taking stretch breaks at his desk. 

Onset of Pain

Last year, Mike first noticed tension and pain on the lower left side of his back after participating in a  football game. Since then, the pain has come and gone but remains in the same location and is sore enough to be annoying. Occasionally the pain flares for a few days and is bad enough to interrupt his sleep and disrupt his usual activities. The issue was never severe enough to seek an opinion from his physician, but when he heard a friend say he had tried acupuncture for knee pain and had loved the results, it piqued his interest and he decided to book an appointment.

First Visit

Mike had his initial session at the clinic this past spring, toward the end of his football league season. We discussed the history and duration of his symptoms as part of the initial visit workup. After palpating the muscle tissue in the injured area and asking Mike to perform several ortho-neuro exams, we determined that one of the roots of Mike’s pain was dysfunction of gluteus medius, one of the buttock muscles and a major hip flexor. Weakness in gluteus medius had affected quadratus lumborum, one of the extensor muscles deep in the low back, and this was where Mike was feeling pain.

After the initial assessment, we treated Mike with acupuncture points known to release gluteus medius and quadratus lumborum, and added a small electric charge to some of the needles. This electro-therapy, known as electro acupuncture or simply “e-stim,” is a way to enhance a treatment by stimulating the muscle fibers to contract and relax at a particular frequency and intensity. This can help reset the muscle, enhancing circulation and relieving pain. We also used an infrared heat lamp to warm the muscles and further enhance circulation.  After the session ended, we sent Mike home with a topical magnesium spray to use as needed on the areas in pain, instructions to use a heat pad on the area at the first sign of stiffness or soreness, and a treatment plan instructing him to report back for treatment at least once a week for the next eight weeks.

Follow-Up Care

Mike did as instructed and returned to the clinic weekly for five sessions. He used a heat pad when necessary and modified his sporting schedule to allow his back to recover and rest. He saw a 50% improvement in his chronic low back pain within two visits, and the pain was completely gone by the fifth visit, at which time we modified Mike’s treatment plan to progressively step down the number and frequency of sessions. He continued to receive acupuncture on a biweekly basis until departing to spend the summer at his family’s camp. On his most recent visit, Mike reported a complete resolution of his chronic low back pain, with occasional tension resolved by the stretches and other lifestyle techniques taught to him during his visits. Mike was excited to see such speedy results, not to mention the feeling of being “on cloud nine” he experienced after each session.

Conclusion

If you, like Mike, have had a chronic, bothersome injury that just hasn’t healed on its own, don’t needlessly spend any more time in pain. Contact us for an initial consultation today so we can hone in on your issues and get you back in the game.