If you’ve received imaging or a diagnosis based on abnormalities like a disc herniation or scoliosis, it can be difficult to even imagine how you could experience relief without fixing these structural problems.  A conclusive diagnosis based on imaging can seem to indicate that your source of pain has been clearly identified. However, this is not necessarily the case. 

Studies have shown that many people without any back pain show the same abnormalities on imaging. What this means is that an MRI or X-Ray alone cannot determine the source of back pain. In the vast majority of cases, whether or not there are spinal abnormalities present, the source of pain is typically the muscles. As the muscles adapt to our movement patterns, physical demands, and even compensate for structural changes like a herniated disc or scoliosis, the muscles can become dysfunctional and painful. 

Tight muscles can also cause the spine to become misaligned, or press on nerves that cause radiating pain. There is a lot we can do to provide relief with acupuncture without invasive procedures aimed at fixing a structural change that may or may not be the source of pain.  Acupuncture treats the muscles by releasing trigger points and adhesions, decreasing inflammation, as well as providing whole-body pain relief. Healthy muscles are better able to adapt to structural changes and keep you moving with strength and ease.

Does your job require you to work at a computer all day, or require repetitive lifting? 

Many jobs and activities require you to hold your body in a specific position for a long time. In an ideal world, we use our full range of motion frequently, not getting stuck in one position for too long.  Unfortunately, the demands of modern life make it very difficult to avoid some postural stress. This often manifests as neck, shoulder, and back pain that is mild to moderate and often worse after work and better with rest. 

The quality of pain may be a dull nagging ache, or a feeling of tension, and is often accompanied by restricted range of motion (or loss of flexibility) in the neck or back. Flare-ups may bring severe pain for several days to a week that require rest. 

At Gotham Holistic Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine, we discuss ways to improve your workstation and movement patterns to address the source of pain, and with acupuncture we’re able to release tight muscles and tone weak muscles to reduce pain and restore healthy posture. 

Lower back pain or dysfunction sometimes presents with radiating pain in the leg. If you have pain that seems to radiate down the back of your leg, you may be suffering from sciatica, piriformis syndrome, or a related condition. 

Both sciatica and piriformis syndrome involve compression of the sciatic nerve, which can result in pain that radiates from your lower back into your buttock and down the back of the affected leg. Compression of other nerves due to tight hip and glute muscles can cause pain that radiates down the side of your leg.

The sciatic nerve exits the spine at your lower back, passes through the buttocks, and then runs down the back of each leg. Compression of the sciatic nerve can cause inflammation or irritation of the nerve resulting in pain.Pain may be felt anywhere along the nerve pathway including the lower back, buttock, or leg, and typically affects one side at a time. 

Sciatica is caused by impingement or compression of the nerve as it exits your spine at your low back. The underlying cause of compression at the lumbar spine is typically related to a subluxation (misaligned vertebrae), a herniated disc, or spinal stenosis (narrowing of the spinal canal) in the lumbar spine. In the case of piriformis syndrome, compression happens in the hip as the sciatic nerve passes under a tight piriformis muscle. In addition to pain in the leg, piriformis syndrome often presents with pain in the hip.

You can read more about these conditions here:

Sciatica 

Piriformis Syndrome 

Conditions with radiating pain down the back or side of the legs typically respond very well to acupuncture. Acupuncture addresses compression at the lumbar spine, and releases tight muscles within the buttocks and hips to relieve pain and restore strength and function. 

At Gotham Holistic Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine we’ve helped many patients to get relief from the nagging and debilitating pain that can result from sciatica and piriformis syndrome.