From Dr. Natalie Meiri’s clinical pearl stories: West Palm Beach Chiropractor: Relief From Low Back Pain from Disc Disease With Acupuncture
This is my clinical pearl story about West Palm Beach Chiropractor: Relief From Low Back Pain from Disc Disease With Acupuncture. She was a 62 year old female patient. Her chief complaints were buttock and posterior (back) leg pain. And it came on insidiously (gradual, subtle but with harmful effects) without any trauma. To be HIPAA compliant, I will call her Julie instead of her real name.
Julie worked as an office worker her whole life. Consequently, she spent most of her days sitting at a desk. She ate a healthy diet and exercised regularly. One day she presented to my office reporting pain in the gluteal (buttock) region and wearing a back brace. It was characterized as shooting, burning, or aching down the back of both legs. In addition, she reported numbness in the buttocks and tingling sensations. And it was along the distribution of the sciatic nerve.
Julie had seen previous chiropractors for many years due to chronic back pain. She had all her current x-rays and MRIs (magnetic resonance imaging). Furthermore, she was also seeing a physical therapist, but still wasn’t getting completely better. Julie didn’t want surgery and didn’t want to take conventional drugs for the pain. So that’s when she decided to come see me. Julie thought the combination of chiropractic and acupuncture might help her.
Julie’s Examination at Meiri Chiropractic
Upon examination, Julie tested positive for sciatica from Lumbosacral Disc Disease. . Her x-rays and MRIs confirmed the degenerative arthritis (osteoarthritis) and disc disease. Julie’s diagnosis was Lumbosacral Disc Disease. Julie had all the typical symptoms of sciatica with back and leg pain caused by the degeneration of the spinal discs in the lower back. Symptoms typically include lower back pain that radiates to the buttocks or legs (sciatica), numbness, and muscle weakness.
What is Sciatica?
Firstly, the sciatic nerve is the largest nerve in the human body. Sciatic nerves originate from several nerves in your lower back. These nerves branch outward from the spine. And then it comes together at each buttock to form the sciatic nerve, which then radiates down each leg.
Secondly, the word “sciatic” is defined as relating to the hip or ischium or to any structure in its vicinity, as the sciatic nerve. The ischium is a paired bone (one on each side) of the pelvis that forms the lower and back part of the hip bone(s).
Thirdly, sciatica is defined as irritation or compression of the sciatic nerve that causes pain in the buttock area with radiation to the lower leg. It is a condition characterized by pain along the course of the sciatic nerve. This is usually a neuritis (inflammation of a nerve). It is generally caused by mechanical compression or irritation of the lumbar and sacral spinal nerve roots.
Fourthly, many cases have a spinal cause, such as disc herniation/bulge causing impingement of L5 or S1 nerve roots. Other common causes include spinal stenosis, degenerative disc disease (wear and tear arthritis/osteoarthritis), and spondylolisthesis. There are also other causes of sciatica, which are less common. These include piriformis, trauma, post-operative complications, gynecologic conditions, and herpes zoster (shingles).
West Palm Beach Chiropractor: Efficacy of Acupuncture Research on Low Back Disc Disease in One Study
Firstly, one study sought to show the improvement with acupuncture in some low back muscle pain in patient’s with disc disease. These muscles included: multifidus, erector spinae, and psoas major muscles, along with their “fatty infiltration”. And these were patients diagnosed with lumbar disc herniation treated through acupuncture.
Secondly, muscle fat infiltration is the replacement of healthy back muscle fibers with fatty deposits. In low back disc disease, spinal instability and nerve compression cause deep stabilizing muscles to “stop working”. This chronic disuse leads to muscle atrophy and “fatty replacement”. Ultimately, this leads to continued lower back pain and stiffness.
Thirdly, in the same study, participants were divided into acupuncture and rehabilitation therapy groups. The acupuncture patients received treatments at specific acupuncture points, while the rehabilitation group received “traditional rehabilitative therapy”. In conclusion, “this study demonstrates that acupuncture treatment is significantly more effective than traditional rehabilitation therapy in improving paraspinal muscle function, reducing muscle fat infiltration, and alleviating lumbar and leg pain in patients with lumbar disc herniation”. (2)
Julie’s Chiropractic and Acupuncture Treatments at Meiri Chiropractic
Julie started her care at my office with chiropractic care 2-3 times a week. She showed improvement after 2 weeks and then I incorporated acupuncture 1-2 times week.
Julie reported that she was starting to feel better after the initial visit. And after the acupuncture treatments, she was no longer wearing a back brace and moving much better. After 3 months of continued weekly care, Julie was mostly pain-free. Also, she was able to do many more activities now that her low back was better.
West Palm Beach Chiropractor: Relief From Low Back Pain from Disc Disease With Acupuncture
Firstly, Acupuncture is a treatment that has been used for over 4000 years to treat pain and other health problems. It is a painless technique in our office and we use very thin needles. The needles affect what the ancient chinese practitioners called Meridians. These are energy channels in your body under the skin.
Secondly, Acupuncture’s effectiveness has been well documented in musculoskeletal pain disorders and other ailments.
Ultimately, Acupuncture treatments stimulate the meridians. The goal is to activate the body’s natural healing abilities.
Chiropractor West Palm Beach: Relief From Low Back Pain and Disc Disease With Acupuncture
Meiri Chiropractic offers acupuncture for low back disc disease and many other ailments. Dr. Natalie Meiri is a chiropractic physician, board certified in acupuncture with over 20 years of experience. Call today for your acupuncture treatment at 561-253-8984!
References:
- Thomas Souza, (2018) Differential Diagnosis and Management for the Chiropractor
- 2024 Nov 6:15:1467769. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2024.1467769. eCollection 2024.
Efficacy of acupuncture for lumbar disc herniation: changes in paravertebral muscle and fat infiltration – a multicenter retrospective cohort study
Liang Yan # 1 , Jiliang Zhang # 2 , Xianliang Wang # 3 , Qinming Zhou 4 , Jingdong Wen 5 , Haihong Zhao 6 , Kai Guo 6 , Jianhua Zeng 6 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39568818/