Treating Sciatic Pain with Acupuncture
I want to bring to light how acupuncture, cupping, and other Chinese medicine treatments can help relieve sciatic pain. The term sciatica is commonly used to describe pain that radiates from the lower back into the hip, thigh, glutes, and/or legs. Individuals suffering from sciatica often have more pain on one side of the body than the other that ranges from an aching sensation to a tingling, burning, or numbness.
Pain Memory
Unfortunately, if left untreated, sciatica often becomes a source of chronic pain. Studies indicate that pain that persists for a length of time can cause prolonged pain even after the original trauma has healed. While multiple physiological processes contribute to the sensation of pain, pain memory can take much of the blame for persistent or prolonged pain. This is a complicated process in which our brain creates a “pain memory” through the release of a hormone known as cortical. Certain phosphates in our body then bind to proteins and cause synaptic plasticity. I know, it’s a mouthful……but all of this to say that persistent pain actually strengthens the synapses that relay pain signals back to the brain.
Acupuncture with Electrical Stimulation
The good news is, that these pain signals can be greatly reduced or even erased. Studies on the mechanism of acupuncture, especially with the addition of electrical stimulation, indicate its ability to reduce cortical and phosphorylation which are directly tied to pain memory retrieval. If you are not familiar with electrical stimulation, it is often an additional component to acupuncture treatment in which a mild, electric current passes between needles with the use of small electrodes. This provides a gentle vibration that stimulates the acupuncture points and allows for a larger area of stimulation.
Case Study
In the reference section below, I have included a couple of research articles with data that indicates acupuncture is more effective in the reduction of pain related to sciatica than conventional medication. However, I prefer sharing a personal experience that I had in treating a patient suffering from sciatic pain. He had reached a point where his pain was debilitating, and he was considering back surgery. He was skeptical about acupuncture and came into the clinic as a last resort before scheduling surgery. I let him know that it would likely take anywhere from 8 to 12 acupuncture sessions, but I believed that his pain could be significantly reduced.
Treatment Results
He consistently showed up for treatments 1-3 times per week for 1 month. He described his pain as a dull ache that began in the lumbar region, radiated into the right glute, and continued down to the right lower leg. The first and second treatments only involved acupuncture and electrical stimulation. By the third session, I added cupping on the lower back and the affected buttock. Acupuncture with electrical stimulation was then applied from GB34 to GB30, for 20 minutes. While he did see slight improvement after each session, he noticed significant relief following the 7th treatment. He now only comes in about once per month to maintain complete pain relief.
Conclusion
I believe that the success of this case lies in the consistency of the patient showing up for treatment on a regular basis and following through with the treatment plan. The patient also noted that the addition of cupping increased the overall pain relief and length of time that the relief lasted. Finally, I cannot go without giving credit to our Creator……after all, He is our ultimate healer.
Call to Action
If you enjoyed this article, please share with others that you think would benefit from this information. If you yourself are dealing with sciatic pain, please visit our appointment page or contact me directly to schedule a consultation and treatment.
References
1. Ji M, Wang X, Chen M, Shen Y, Zhang X, Yang J. The Efficacy of Acupuncture for the Treatment of Sciatica: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2015;2015:192808. doi: 10.1155/2015/192808. Epub 2015 Sep 6. PMID: 26425130; PMCID: PMC4575738.
2. Sun J, Shao XM, Fang F, Shen Z, Wu YY, Fang JQ. Electroacupuncture alleviates retrieval of pain memory and its effect on phosphorylation of cAMP response element-binding protein in anterior cingulate cortex in rats. Behavioral and Brain Functions. 2015; 11(9): 1-12.
3. Perreault T, Fernández-de-las-Peñas C, Cummings M, Gendron BC. Needling Interventions for Sciatica: Choosing Methods Based on Neuropathic Pain Mechanisms—A Scoping Review. Journal of Clinical Medicine [Internet]. MDPI AG; 2021 May 19;10(10):2189. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/jcm10102189
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