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Thread: Acupuncture for back-pain

  1. #1
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    Default Acupuncture for back-pain

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    Hi everyone,

    does anyone here have experience with acupuncture?

    My girlfriend (25 y.o.) has developed severe back pain in the lumbar region (probably due to "detraining" and lack of exercise) during the corona-related training-free period. It has been difficult to return to regular training so far, so she went to the doctor last week.

    He sent her to an MRI and now he diagnoses (with a lot of technical terms) a "protrusion" at the level of the vertebrae L4 / L5 / S1. As far as I understand it, a protrusion is not much more than a slightly excessive curvature of the spine, right?

    Of course he advised her against any physical exertion and prescribes regular acupuncture for the next months. I have never had contact with acupuncture before, is there any experience here? And does anyone have any advice on how to return to training?

    Thanks a lot in advance.

    (Sorry if some of the medical terms are wrong - English is not my first language)

  2. #2
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    The protrusion most likely refers to one or more of the cartilaginous discs between the vertebrae of the spine. Also called a disc bulge. I have had several clients whose strength training kept pain from this condition under check and when they stopped, the pain resurfaced. Acupuncture is a surprising first choice to address this. What kind of training was she doing before. And how, specifically as a return to training not worked? What was she trying?
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  3. #3
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    I was in a very minor car accident a few years ago and messed up my lower back/ SI joint (probably was preexisting from a horse incident in my teens). I had some chiropractic care and he had an acupuncturist he referred me to as well. My insurance covered it so I gave it a try.

    Acupuncture won't do anything for the structural problems (obviously, how would it? ) but I found it gave me pretty immediate pain relief and helped relax the muscles in the area. If she's not paying of pocket for it, it may be well worth it if it allows her to get back training sooner.

  4. #4
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    I am definitely in camp "terrible low back pain any time I stop training" and the only thing that fixes it is training more.

    Obviously not a doctor and don't know her current condition, but often this is one of those things where the bulge was there all along, and the unrelated pain made her go to the doctor, who then saw the bulge and assumed that was the cause. When really, the cause is just general muscle tightness/weakness from sitting too much.

    However, that transition period can be tough. As an alternative to acupuncture, consider those Prana mats. I don't have the real one, just a $15 knock off from Amazon, and it works great. Same deal, it helps relax the muscles in the area. Otherwise I can't recover fast enough, end up working out with a tight back, which just leads to an even tighter back. But using the mat to relax my muscles on my off day means I'm ready to go again the next day.
    Also a huge fan of magnesium lotion, or Epsom salt baths (same thing), for muscle relaxation.

  5. #5
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    Most people with disc bulges don’t have pain, and most people with back pain don’t have disc bulges (or any other structural MRI finding). Unless you have neurological symptoms corresponding to the level of the disc problem, it is likely to be unrelated to your back pain.

    Most back pain is functional, sometimes related to muscle tone, and you might get symptomatic relief from acupuncture. Many people have reported that squats and deadlifts (ie moving and strengthening the muscles of the back) both relieves and seems to prevent back pain. Hopefully she can return to training soon. There are many threads on this board illustrating how people have gotten back to training to work through back pain.

  6. #6
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    I have no direct experience with acupuncture. I have a close friend (former Penn State linebacker) who was not a follower of alternative medicine finally turn to acupuncture out of desperation for pain management. He swears by it.

    I swear by SS method, deadlifts, rack pulls, and haltings for my age and car accident related back issues.

  7. #7
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    Thanks for the response everyone!

    @Hayden-William: She was doing basic NLP before (not very far in the process and not very strict). Basically I took her with me when I trained and she did the same kind of exercises. That also was how we tried to restart her training but she had pain squatting and pressing (didn't came to the deadlift). So I had her do some machines she feels more secure with since then.


    Now I hope that the acupuncture helps with a relief in pain so that the transition back to training can be made. And from there on the regained back-strength will do its thing.

  8. #8
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    The history of acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine fascinates me. It had fallen out of favor in China until chairman Mao needed a way to make the masses think he was providing some level of health care for his people. The country was short on doctors and medicine at the time so all of a sudden TCM was back in vogue. Mix in a little Western medicine and and a heavy dose of who really gives a shit if a bunch of peasants die and there you have it.

    Between Party, People, and Profession: The Many Faces of the ‘Doctor’ during the Cultural Revolution
    Mao triumphant: The World Health Organization officially embraces traditional Chinese medicine quackery - RESPECTFUL INSOLENCE

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by ChrisBuck93 View Post
    Thanks for the response everyone!

    @Hayden-William: She was doing basic NLP before (not very far in the process and not very strict). Basically I took her with me when I trained and she did the same kind of exercises. That also was how we tried to restart her training but she had pain squatting and pressing (didn't came to the deadlift). So I had her do some machines she feels more secure with since then.

    Now I hope that the acupuncture helps with a relief in pain so that the transition back to training can be made. And from there on the regained back-strength will do its thing.
    Certainly you can give it a try for the pain. In terms of the training, you will likely still need to try a bunch of modifications and be very on point with technique to get her back. For example, does she have all the gear (belt for pressing, squatting, deadlifting)? Does her technique have any major issues? Is she breathing/getting tight enough? Be sure to start her up light enough (possibly with the empty bar)? Also, you can try and start her up with the lifts that don't bother her (perhaps the DL will be fine)? And so on...
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  10. #10
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    starting strength coach development program
    Thank you for the recommendations! I have a belt for my training she uses for the press, but it will be too big for her to squat or deadlift with. We gonna go and buy one for her.
    I will not let her do power cleans and have her do the lat-pull (can't do a chin-up) every second workout after the first few sessions.
    Bench-Press and press never have been a problem for her so I guess we can leave that unchanged.
    Squats are the biggest problem for her - we surely start here with the empty bar and need to work on the technique. She struggles to keep the lower back tight and fix during the whole movement.
    Can it be a good idea to do box-squats at first?

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