Portrait of a female doctor and senior patient with back pain at her doctor's office in clinic
For individuals considering acupuncture for sciatica relief and management, can knowing how it works and what to expect during a session help in making the decision?
Table of Contents
Acupuncture for sciatica is a safe and effective medical treatment to relieve and manage pain symptoms. Studies suggest it is as effective as other treatment strategies and causes fewer side effects. (Zhihui Zhang et al., 2023) The frequency of acupuncture to relieve sciatica pain depends on the severity of the condition and injury, but many report improvement within two to three weeks. (Fang-Ting Yu et al., 2022)
Acupuncture sciatica treatment involves specific acupoints along the bladder and gallbladderΒ meridians.
The bladder meridian/BL runs down the back along the spine, hips, and legs. The acupoints within the meridian for sciatica include: (Fang-Ting Yu et al., 2022)
The gallbladder meridian/GB runs along the sides from the corner of the eyes to the pinky toe. (Thomas Perreault et al., 2021) The acupoints for sciatica within this meridian include: (Zhihui Zhang et al., 2023)
Stimulating acupoints in these meridians increases blood flow to the area, reduces inflammation, and releases endorphins and other pain-relieving neurochemicals to relieve symptoms. (Ningcen Li et al., 2021) The specific acupoints vary depending on symptoms and the root cause. (Tiaw-Kee Lim et al., 2018)
An example of acupuncture sciatica treatment session: A patient with persistent shooting pain extending down the back and side of the leg. A standard treatment consists of the following:
Acupuncture has been shown to be a complementary therapy for pain relief and management. The benefits of acupuncture:
Zhang, Z., Hu, T., Huang, P., Yang, M., Huang, Z., Xia, Y., Zhang, X., Zhang, X., & Ni, G. (2023). The efficacy and safety of acupuncture therapy for sciatica: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trails. Frontiers in neuroscience, 17, 1097830. doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2023.1097830
Yu, F. T., Liu, C. Z., Ni, G. X., Cai, G. W., Liu, Z. S., Zhou, X. Q., Ma, C. Y., Meng, X. L., Tu, J. F., Li, H. W., Yang, J. W., Yan, S. Y., Fu, H. Y., Xu, W. T., Li, J., Xiang, H. C., Sun, T. H., Zhang, B., Li, M. H., Wan, W. J., β¦ Wang, L. Q. (2022). Acupuncture for chronic sciatica: protocol for a multicenter randomised controlled trial. BMJ open, 12(5), e054566. doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2021-054566
Zhang, W. B., Jia, D. X., Li, H. Y., Wei, Y. L., Yan, H., Zhao, P. N., Gu, F. F., Wang, G. J., & Wang, Y. P. (2018). Understanding Qi Running in the Meridians as Interstitial Fluid Flowing via Interstitial Space of Low Hydraulic Resistance. Chinese journal of integrative medicine, 24(4), 304β307. doi.org/10.1007/s11655-017-2791-3
Zhu H. (2014). Acupoints Initiate the Healing Process. Medical acupuncture, 26(5), 264β270. doi.org/10.1089/acu.2014.1057
Zhang, R., Lao, L., Ren, K., & Berman, B. M. (2014). Mechanisms of acupuncture-electroacupuncture on persistent pain. Anesthesiology, 120(2), 482β503. doi.org/10.1097/ALN.0000000000000101
Perreault, T., FernΓ‘ndez-de-Las-PeΓ±as, C., Cummings, M., & Gendron, B. C. (2021). Needling Interventions for Sciatica: Choosing Methods Based on Neuropathic Pain Mechanisms-A Scoping Review. Journal of clinical medicine, 10(10), 2189. doi.org/10.3390/jcm10102189
Li, N., Guo, Y., Gong, Y., Zhang, Y., Fan, W., Yao, K., Chen, Z., Dou, B., Lin, X., Chen, B., Chen, Z., Xu, Z., & Lyu, Z. (2021). The Anti-Inflammatory Actions and Mechanisms of Acupuncture from Acupoint to Target Organs via Neuro-Immune Regulation. Journal of inflammation research, 14, 7191β7224. doi.org/10.2147/JIR.S341581
Lim, T. K., Ma, Y., Berger, F., & Litscher, G. (2018). Acupuncture and Neural Mechanism in the Management of Low Back Pain-An Update. Medicines (Basel, Switzerland), 5(3), 63. doi.org/10.3390/medicines5030063
Kim, S. Y., Min, S., Lee, H., Cheon, S., Zhang, X., Park, J. Y., Song, T. J., & Park, H. J. (2016). Changes of Local Blood Flow in Response to Acupuncture Stimulation: A Systematic Review. Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM, 2016, 9874207. doi.org/10.1155/2016/9874207
Patil, S., Sen, S., Bral, M., Reddy, S., Bradley, K. K., Cornett, E. M., Fox, C. J., & Kaye, A. D. (2016). The Role of Acupuncture in Pain Management. Current pain and headache reports, 20(4), 22. doi.org/10.1007/s11916-016-0552-1
Ma, X., Chen, W., Yang, N. N., Wang, L., Hao, X. W., Tan, C. X., Li, H. P., & Liu, C. Z. (2022). Potential mechanisms of acupuncture for neuropathic pain based on somatosensory system. Frontiers in neuroscience, 16, 940343. doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2022.940343
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Welcome to El Paso's Premier Wellness and Injury Care Clinic wellness blog, where Dr. Alex Jimenez, DC, FNP-C, a board-certified Family Practice Nurse Practitioner (FNP-C) and Chiropractor (DC), presents insights on how our team is dedicated to holistic healing and personalized care. Our practice aligns with evidence-based treatment protocols inspired by integrative medicine principles, similar to those found on dralexjimenez.com, focusing on restoring health naturally for patients of all ages.
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