Sciatica and Acupuncture

Sciatica is commonly experienced with lower back, hip, radiating pain in the leg or even numbness and weakness of the foot. It may be a constant pain on the side of the rear or a pain that shoots, making it hard for one to stand up. It usually affects only one side of our body but may extend from the back to as far as the toes. This condition can cause severe pain and are often experienced by 10% to 40% of people.

“Sciatica is a condition often accompanied by neuropathic pain”… One of the treatments that can be administered for pain and in conditions such as sciatica is acupuncture and dry needling. ¹ There are several studies that elevated the relief and treatment of this condition from the efficacy of acupuncture and is an ongoing study to validate how effective acupuncture can be for this condition. “Acupoints play a key role in treatment…” as stated a basis of a study regarding acupuncture and sciatica. The trial involved a 4-week treatment and a follow up for a length of 22 weeks. Its effectivity was measured by the change of pain in the leg (its intensity) based on the 4-week treatment. This was initialized and performed in 2020 with results showing favorable reduction of pain intensity within the short-term testing. ²

Can Acupuncture Relieve Sciatica

Sciatica takes toll both physically and mentally. It can interrupt several functions and routines of the human body. Acupuncture helps in alleviating the pain, both chronic and acute. By inserting fins, specialized needles, it triggers a response from our nervous system to cascade painkillers such as enkephalins and endorphins that help with the pain. It also results in boosting blood circulation and relaxation of muscles.

The use of needles towards the meridians or acupoints that stimulate different systems in the body such as the musculoskeletal and nervous system, needles that are sometimes gently twirled or heated to increase the effectiveness depending on the technique used. This is to unblock the Qi and to increase the flow of energy and blood flow, also relaxing the target area muscles to relieve pain for patients.

¹https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8158699/

²https://trialsjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13063-020-04961-4

https://www.parcofontario.com/acupuncture-relieve-sciatica-pain/

https://www.spineuniverse.com/conditions/sciatica/alternative-treatments-sciatica-acupuncture-acupressure-biofeedback-yoga