Back Pain & Acupuncture
In my 30 years as an acupuncturist I have treated many many people with back pain & acupuncture. I have had astonishing success!
After I had been practicing for about 5 years, I was feeling uncertain as to how I had done, so I went back over all my patient notes. One fact stood out. For back pain I had had a 93% success rate! This was after a lot of clients. Some of the clients had had back pain for over 20 years. By success I mean the pain had gone totally or almost totally.
Two case histories stand out in my memory.
Case History 1
A local lawyer, who had had severe, constant pain for 30 years came to my clinic. In just 3 acupuncture treatments his pain was totally cured. One year later he sent his cleaner to see me. She also had back pain for over 20 years. I treated her with weekly acupuncture and her pain was gone in just six treatments. At the end of the last treatment, as she was leaving, she began shouting at me! What sort of an acupuncturist was I to take 6 treatments to cure her, when with her employer I only took 2 treatments!
Case History 2
The second was a young man who represented England in 3 sports. He had fallen off his bike 3 years previously and severely damaged his upper back. When he came to see me he was booked in to have back surgery. The surgeon had told him the surgery was extremely risky. It carried a 50% risk of total paralysis! Still he was about to go ahead with it. I treated him with acupuncture, not expecting to be able to help. The next week he returned, and in a despondent voice told me the treatment hadn’t got rid of his pain. I asked if there was any reduction of pain. He said yes, about 50%! Unlike him I was overjoyed, & I treated him again. When he returned the 3rd time the pain was 80% gone, and by the 5th treatment it was gone entirely. He came for one more treatment, and cancelled the surgery. I saw him again 1 year later for a Shiatsu treatment. He reported that his pain had never come back, and that he was back representing his country.
Acupuncture & The NHS
So if you ever read that acupuncture does not work for back pain, then please ignore it. The NHS NICE guidelines have recommended back pain & acupuncture for some years. Strangely they have just recently decided to not recommend it. I am astounded by this, as acupuncture is a cheap and effective treatment, in my 30 years of practice. In my opinion back pain &acupuncture should go together always in the NHS!
My Own Back Pain
So if you have pack pain of any description, before taking drugs and having surgery, try acupuncture. I am speaking here as someone who has had back surgery. I tried acupuncture, and it had no effect on my back pain. This is not surprising as an MRI scan revealed that my lowest disk had totally ruptured. I would have died if I didn’t have the surgery. Fortunately for me my surgery was very successful, I am very grateful to the surgeon. 15 years later I’m in my 50’s & still play 5-a-side football!
Getting Treatment
At our clinic in Guildford we offer £25 acupuncture treatment. The low price does not mean you get less of a treatment. So if you are local to us, and are struggling with your health, why not give acupuncture a try?
David Gilbert