Back Pain: Do’s and Don’ts

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released guidelines in November 2022 recommending that doctors should not prescribe opioids as the first line of treatment for pain, and instead consider non-opioid treatments such as acupuncture and low level laser therapy (LLLT). Here’s some back pain: do’s and don’ts.

Actually, taking NSAIDS (over-the-counter anti-inflammatories) and opioids can contribute to an acute injury becoming chronic because if you fully block the normal physiological pathway of pain then it can lead to long-term pain.  That is what many pain-relieving drugs (e.g. steroids, naproxen, ibuprofen) do, they block the pathway of pain and when you block the inflammatory response it also blocks healing and can lead to prolonged pain – chronic pain.

It is what we call a smile now, cry later approach. You get a cortisone injection and get some immediate relief (“smile now”), but the pain often comes back, and eventually, the steroid injection is no longer pain relieving and this is the “cry later”. 

The CDC recommends that doctors consider non-opioid treatments as a safer and more effective alternative for subacute and chronic pain based on proven clinical trial research. They recommend:

  • Acupuncture
    • Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT)
      • Massage
        • Spinal manipulation
          • Qi Gong
Combining acupuncture & LLLT

Acupuncture and low level laser therapy (LLLT) can help reduce pain and also accelerate recovery because it greatly reduces without fully blocking the physiological response to allow both pain relief and healing for long-term recovery.

Patients over the past two decades have found pain relief from our integrative approach.   It is reassuring to have these treatments validated with the CDC recommendations based on proven clinical trials. 

At Acubalance we can combine the following approaches in your treatments to provide pain relief and accelerated healing & recovery.

  • Acupuncture 
  • Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT)
  • Cupping and Gua Sha
  • Tui Na Massage
  • TDP heat lamp

It is amazing how correcting some nutritional deficiencies with our nutritional IV therapy (a good amount of magnesium) can reduce muscle spasms and pain as well. 

Your body has the ability to heal and resolve pain when it is supported and provided with the ideal environment for healing.  Combining acupuncture and low level laser therapy increases blood flow to the injured site, improves mitochondrial function of the injured tissue, reduces inflammation, and modulates your immune system to accelerate healing and reduce pain.

Here are some examples shared by patients who found ways to restore their sore backs to normal functioning and quality of life.

Chronic Pain: From Level 10 Out Of 10 Pain To Taking Only 1 Or 2 Pain Meds

Canceled Back Surgery Thanks To Laser Acupuncture

To read more about the CDC guideline click here and to learn more about how Acubalance can help you find lasting pain relief book a discovery call or if  you are ready to get started, book your appointment.

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