If you have a desk job or you find yourself sitting for a large part of the day, you might find yourself up against a case of back pain. At first it doesn’t make much sense—-if you haven’t been doing anything particularly straining how could your body be upset? But, the thing is that our bodies are made to move and our muscles are made to be worked. Without exercising muscles (like our glutes), we can run into problems. Read on to learn how acupuncture can target, work, and assist these muscles to help reduce lower back pain.
Back pain is one of the most common problems that I treat daily. Often times clients will tell me that they “haven’t been to the gym or out exercising or had any major change to their daily routine,” so they aren’t sure why they suddenly are having back problems. But you certainly don’t need to be physically active to experience this common painful issue. In fact, sitting for long periods of time without much activity can be the main ingredient for back pain.
“If I’m not doing anything, why do I have pain? ”
Our bodies are designed to be active. They aren’t designed to sit for 5-10 hours a day. However, for many people that is their reality every single day. With prolonged sitting, our body’s musculature undergoes its own modifications: our hip flexors and hamstrings get short and tight and our glute muscles quit firing. The glutes (bum muscles) are powerhouse muscles and contributors to our core stability; they should be strong and utilized daily. When they are weak, they rely on the hamstrings and hip flexors to pick up the slack and that puts unnecessary stress on the pelvic girdle. This pattern can lead to referred pain in the lower back.
Acupuncture and Lower Back Pain
When muscles are severely inhibited and compensation muscles are extremely tight, acupuncture (and more specifically motor point acupuncture) can be used to effectively release and reset this problem.
Motor point acupuncture is a style of electro-acupuncture that is used to:
- release contracted muscles
- improve blood circulation
- correct muscle inhibition
- increase muscle strength
- improve joint range of motion
- provide pain relief
This is commonly combined with trigger point needling to release the tight bands of muscle to achieve optimal results. Traditional acupuncture can also be used for those for whom electro-acupuncture is contraindicated. Both styles of treatment will often be combined with soft tissue work (tuina-massage), heat, and/or cupping. An at-home stretching and strengthening program can also contribute to rebalancing this muscle dysfunction.
To find out more about what acupuncture can do to help you, book a free 15 min Meet and Greet by calling 403 452 0029 or booking with our acupuncturist, online.