Osteochondrosis can be treated in different ways. For example, drinking by handfuls of medication or injecting non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. You can do nothing and gradually lose mobility. Or you can contact an acupuncturist , and after a while forget about the problem completely. It is about acupuncture that we will talk about today.
What is acupuncture?
An integral part of traditional Chinese medicine is acupuncture or acupuncture.
For the oldest practice, special needles are used, made of stainless steel, gold or silver. Games are injected into the patient’s skin at various acupuncture points. There are about 2 thousand of them on the human body.
The length and thickness of the needles depends on the place on the body where they are applied. In most cases, the needle penetrates a few millimeters into the acupuncture point; in special cases, the needle is pushed deeper, up to 2 cm.
The duration of the acupuncture session increases gradually. The first procedures take a little time: the needles are put in for a few minutes. By the end of the course of treatment, the session time increases to half an hour.
The effectiveness of acupuncture treatment for osteochondrosis
It is difficult to dispute the effectiveness of acupuncture in osteochondrosis of the cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine . Judging by the numerous patient reviews, they felt much better after the needle treatment.
Mainstream medicine is beginning to recognize the use of acupuncture in the treatment of osteochondrosis, although doctors insist that standard drug-based methods should not be abandoned.
In European countries, the Chinese practice of acupuncture is almost never applied in isolation. Treatment of osteochondrosis is always carried out in a comprehensive manner, in the aggregate:
- With massage.
- With medication.
- With sessions of medical gymnastics.
Indications for
It is known that osteochondrosis is a chronic pathology. It is unlikely that it will be possible to get rid of it with the help of even ultra-modern and expensive methods. After all, your spine is aging in the same way as the skin on your face, this process is inevitable.
But you can relieve pain, remove muscle stiffness, improve blood circulation in problem areas with osteochondrosis with the help of acupuncture.
Direct indications for conducting are:
- Cervical, thoracic, lumbar and mixed types of osteochondrosis.
- Congestion in the tissues surrounding the spine.
- Prolonged pain in the neck, back, lower back caused by osteochondrosis.
- Stiffness of movements due to osteochondrosis.
Contraindications
Acupuncture is not performed if the patient consults a doctor with an exacerbation of osteochondrosis. It is necessary to wait for the stage of stable remission, and only then begin treatment according to the Chinese method.
Before starting acupuncture, the doctor asks the patient in detail. You will be banned from “Needles” if:
- You are pregnant.
- You have an acute infectious disease.
- You have a blood disorder or malignant pathology.
- You have skin problems or injuries.
- You are over 75 years old or you are planning to give acupuncture sessions to your baby.
Side effects
Acupuncture is an example of nature-based health care. Nature and its laws governing the external world are used to understand the inner world and the human body, which is viewed as a microcosm of the universe.
Using the body’s own reserve capabilities, acupuncture stimulates the independent struggle of an individual organism with an illness. Therefore, side effects in our concept – intolerance, it has no allergies.
Complications in the form of infection can occur if you come to an unscrupulous specialist – in the case of using reusable needles that have not been sterilized.
Read also about the benefits of using Artron in the treatment of osteochondrosis.
Method advantages
Among the advantages of acupuncture over other methods of treatment are:
- No side effects.
- Comfort of the procedure.
- Painlessness.
- Effectiveness.
- The presence of additional effects: acupuncture successfully fights stressful situations, as if “tuning” the body to an organic existence in the environment.
How is the acupuncture procedure for osteochondrosis?
Before you get to acupuncture sessions, your doctor should examine you. And find out in detail what medications you use to treat osteochondrosis, whether you receive additional procedures.
- It is undesirable to carry out acupuncture at the same time with electrical procedures . It is optimal if acupuncture will be done to you in the morning, and in the afternoon you will go to a massage session. You can alternate acupuncture and massage every other day.
- In the acupuncturist’s office, you will be offered to lie down on the couch, remove all jewelry and pressure clothes, and take the most comfortable position for you.
- Before setting the needles, the skin is disinfected with any aseptic agent.
- The needles are usually removed by a nurse.
After the procedure, do not run quickly on business, you should rest for at least 20 minutes.
Choosing a reflexologist
Choosing a doctor is the most basic thing to consider. Of course, he must have not only a diploma of classical medical education, but also a certificate of special training in acupuncture.
It is best if you go to a doctor who was trained in the methodology in China, the homeland of the practice. All other certificates and certificates should not be taken on faith.
How to determine where a professional acupuncturist works , and who is considered a charlatan? It’s simple. Make an appointment with a specialist working in a public health facility. A specialist without the appropriate documents will simply not be hired there.
Reviews about acupuncture
Let’s consider some reviews of patients undergoing acupuncture treatment.
Anna, 39 years old.
Diagnosis: Osteochondrosis of the cervicothoracic spine.
The patient consulted a neurologist with complaints of persistent headaches, rapid fatigue and stiffness of movements in the thoracic spine. Prescribed treatment: non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, massage, acupuncture (10 sessions).
The patient used medicines for 5 days, after which she continued treatment with a masseur and acupuncture therapist . Already in the third session, Anna noted that the movements became free, the headache stopped tormenting in the evenings.
Alexander, 47 years old.
Diagnosis: osteochondrosis of the lumbosacral spine.
The patient suffered from constant pain in the lumbar region in the morning and after physical exertion. He complained of insomnia, frequent depressive states.
Acupuncture courses (15 procedures) take place regularly, twice a year, for 3 years. During the first course of acupuncture, he received additional medication. After treatment, the pain did not recur for 4 months. I went to the doctor again. A repeated course of acupuncture was prescribed. After going through 15 procedures, he noted a significant improvement in his condition. The pains disappeared, the quality of life changed. The patient became balanced, active, night sleep improved. Now she is undergoing acupuncture for prophylactic purposes.
Rates
We will not convince you of the need for acupuncture for osteochondrosis.
A competent approach is a personal appeal to an acupuncturist , who will determine whether you can put needles, and how many sessions are needed.
The cost of one acupuncture session in Russia ranges from 900 to 1200 rubles.
For comparison, the cost of one session in Belarusian clinics when providing assistance to foreign citizens is from 360 to 660 rubles per procedure.
The service is not cheap, but it is at least unreasonable to assess the state of health with money. So choose, analyze and don’t get sick!