Back pain
Acupuncture, massage and exercises for back pain
The most common types of back pain
Source: Mayoclinic.org
Most of my clients visit me for the first time due to some sort back pain. From them, the majority are office workers that spend near to eight hours per day sitting in front of their computer and handling a significant amount of stress. They may complain from lower back pain or upper back pain with tension on their neck and shoulders that gets worse on stressful periods.
Some other clients have chronic back pain due to damage in their discs or spine, compressing their nerves. This kind of pain can radiate to the legs or arms depending on the injury.
And the third type comes due to an accident: a sudden movement or a repetitive heavy lifting, like moving furniture to a new house or falling from the bicicle, can cause a sudden painful spasm that limits the movement.
How acupuncture and massage can help in back pain?
If you have back pain is good to check with your doctor or physiotherapist first to find the root cause of your problem and get an adequate treatment for it.
As a massage therapist and acupuncturist I can provide complementary therapies that will help you relax the muscles and lower the intensity of the pain. Studies suggest that massage and acupuncture have some benefits for low back pain. In my experience, some cases improve already just with acupuncture or massage, but the combination of both makes the most beneficial session.
With one hour session I make a quick acupuncture treatment first to unblock, then a myofascial massage on the muscle chains affected. If the case is severe or stubborn I might use some ear acupuncture as a reinforcement treatment. In some cases I would recommend a 90 minutes session, so you can have a full body relaxing massage after the acupuncture treatment for a deeper relaxation and balance.
Exercises to keep your back strong and flexible
Sedentary lifestyle doesn't benefit our well-being: our body needs to move, stretch and relax the muscles to be healthy. Facing back pain, doctors recommend to avoid bed rest and try to keep active as possible. I will soon post a video here where I suggest you a few easy exercises to move your back and help you release tension, build up flexibility and strength.
Breathing exercises to relax your back
Stress changes your breathing patterns and cause tension in your muscles.
Breathing is a powerful tool to your well being if you know how to use it. Our breath reflects automatically our inner state at any moment, but also we can modify it consciously to change that inner state. We can use breathing to relax and calm ourselves, to stimulate ourselves and prepare for action.
My friend Lorenzo had chronic back pain and he solved it through breathing exercises. It requires to practise a lot, but it can be broken down into short easy practices in your daily life, that you can practise everywhere and it will give you a pleasant relaxed sensation. He called it One Minute Practice. We worked together in this website to help you learn and practice on your own.
Click the following image if you want to try a practice for sciatica pain, that lower back pain that irradiates to the leg.
Book your next appointment
Whether you want to book a massage, an acupuncture session, a combination of both or you want to learn the breathing exercises for back pain, you can reach out to me easily by touching the next button.