Anyone try acupuncture?

[garnettrules21]

I have bad chronic lower back pain. Been to the chiropractor off and on and nothing seems to full fix it or relieve the pain. I went to a physical therapist and basically my lower back muscles are severely weak/injured (courtesy of my old high school basketball coach). So I did the exercises to strengthen my lower back and it helped for a while. I'm basically looking for alternate methods and I thought of trying acupuncture and see if it helps any.

Anyone try it before?

[Stumbleweed]

Re: Anyone try acupuncture?

It's worth a shot for your pain. Lots of people can only get relief from alternative methods like this, so you may as well give it a few tries to see if it helps more than the physical therapy. I personally love going to a Chinese doctor, it's a completely different experience -- very relaxing and so anti-pills/painkiller and so unlike the Western method of practicing medicine. I went in one time when I had smashed the crap out of my little toe on the coffee table (thought it was broken, all mashed up and purple), they stuck a few needles in it along with some other points on my body and sent me home with a medicated wrap and some different ointments to rub on it that had it feeling great within a week... cost me nothing because it was my first visit, but it's normally $25/session.

Anyway, it doesn't magically work and you feel better, so don't give up on it after just one session. And honestly, even if it doesn't make your back feel a ton better, it's a great treatment to have normally, as you feel like a million bucks afterwards generally... I was always buzzing with energy and feeling great. Way better than paying a stupid co-pay to sit in a sterile waiting room, get some pills thrown at you, and sent on your way...

[garnettrules21]

Re: Anyone try acupuncture?

It's worth a shot for your pain. Lots of people can only get relief from alternative methods like this, so you may as well give it a few tries to see if it helps more than the physical therapy. I personally love going to a Chinese doctor, it's a completely different experience -- very relaxing and so anti-pills/painkiller and so unlike the Western method of practicing medicine. I went in one time when I had smashed the crap out of my little toe on the coffee table (thought it was broken, all mashed up and purple), they stuck a few needles in it along with some other points on my body and sent me home with a medicated wrap and some different ointments to rub on it that had it feeling great within a week... cost me nothing because it was my first visit, but it's normally $25/session.

Anyway, it doesn't magically work and you feel better, so don't give up on it after just one session. And honestly, even if it doesn't make your back feel a ton better, it's a great treatment to have normally, as you feel like a million bucks afterwards generally... I was always buzzing with energy and feeling great. Way better than paying a stupid co-pay to sit in a sterile waiting room, get some pills thrown at you, and sent on your way...

Thanks for the info stumbleweed. Yea, I might as well give it a shot. Pretty sure my insurance will cover it, but i'll double check to make sure.

[Stumbleweed]

Re: Anyone try acupuncture?

And it absolutely does not hurt... if you're really freaked out by needles, just don't watch and you will barely even notice. It mostly feels like a slight pressure or like someone lightly pinching the area, usually accompanied by a bunch of energy rushing to that spot and some vibrating. If your practicioner holds the needle while it's in and sends their chi to it, it's a crazy feeling. It will sometimes be a little sore after the fact, but it's normally more like a dull muscle tension/soreness feeling, not sharp like if you had stepped on a tack or something...

Not sure how OKC is fixed for Chinese medicine practitioners, but I'd look for an actual Chinese doctor who does acupuncture rather than some random acupuncture clinic. It's about the whole experience and being treated entirely in the Eastern method -- best to just go all-in with it rather than dabbling. If you have a School of Chinese Medicine or something along those lines there, you can probably get treated for cheaper. If you have an Asian district or a large market, you might ask some people there if they know of a good Chinese doctor around town, as it might not exactly be in the phonebook under "Chinese Medicine". T'ai Chi places would be a good start as well, as many practitioners are also into acupuncture.