Anyone had experience with Accupunture and injuries?

[teachndad]

Hi,

Does anyone have any experience with recieving accupuncture with unicycle or any other athletic injuries. Did it help and how long were the treatments?

I am undergoing accupuncture for a lower back injury that has plagued me for over 20 years. It's usually on and off again and quickly goes away in a day or two. However, it can resurface from time to time. The last time was last July, nearly a year ago.

I was riding on 18" wall and went gap off, lost my balance and landed strangely and reactivated the injury. It never went away. Pain persisted for months, sometimes it was unbearable to get in and out of the car.

I went to the doctor and got referred for PT. That helped along with some exercises, but the problem persisted. Finally last month, I went back and got a referal for Accupuncture, which, luckily my insurance covers.

After two treatments in the lower back, I notice little change. However, this time, the doctor inserted some "permanent" needles in two places in my lower spine. While that sounds scary, they do not go in very deeply, and I can remove them, if necessary. They would be removed by the doctor in a week.

Any experiences you can share?

Thanks.

[feel the light]

I think you should switch right now to splined needles.

[BluntRM]

My dad had acupuncture treatment for back pain several years ago; he's had 3 lower back surgeries to correct a disc and this was enough to get him into alternative treatment-- he swears by acupuncture now, it took a lot of chronic tension out of his back, helped him recover quickly and without the excessive use of pain killers. I think he still goes back once or twice a year to maintain whatever it is that acupuncture does for him.

[Mikefule]

I've never used it but a top local fencertold me he swore by it for sprains and strains. (Fencing is sword fighting - all the puns and jokes you can think of are the fencer's equivalent of "where's your other wheel?")

My mother has used it with some apparent success for a back problem.

I am naturally sceptical of unproven "alternative" remedies, but there is enough convincing anecdotal evidence to lead me to conclude it can have a beneficial effect on certain soft tissue injuries.

That does not mean it always works, or works for every injury, or even for every patient. But I don't think it's complete hokum.

[cafi]

I‘ve had a problem in my hand and the pain was terrible. In one month it was healed. It‘s amazing, but doesn‘t work for everything, I think. But for reducing pain it‘s very nice.

[yoyo]

I'm currently recoving from a disc injury that may have been partly due to too many long distance uni rides (30+km every Sunday morning on my new Nimbus 36", probably before I was ready for it!)

My physiotherapist is also trained in acupuncture, so I asked if he should be giving me needles as well as exercises to do. He said acupuncture was more for pain control than remediation of the underlying problem, and didn't think it was called for. As others have mentioned, it could be useful in your case, especially if pain is causing muscle tension that's making the problem worse.

[goldenchickenIV]

Had lumbago (lower back ache) for three years. Went to a Chinese Doctor trained in Beijing in TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine). I discovered that there is more than just needles in TCM. My treatment also included cupping. After three sessions nothing had happened to my back. A week later I thought this had been a waist of money. Than the tenderness and ache slowly started to diminish. For every week I felt better. After five weeks all pain was gone. This happened 2003 and I still enjoy a pain free back.

[Kevkahuna711]

A relative I see at family functions had it for her back pain.

She said it worked well for her, but I have yet to have personal experience with it.

[bungeejoe]

I have seen a lot of wonderful things happen with Accpunture. It really does work on more than pain.