In the last blog post, I talked about what I would like you to do and keep in mind when you get a slipped disc. In this blog post, I will explain the next stage, the treatment for the slipped disc using acupuncture and moxibustion.
Function of injured muscles and posture during treatment
A slipped disc causes tremendous pain and fear.
Muscles that have been injured for some reason become inflamed, it retains heat and is unbearably painful. The pain is often very strong immediately after the injury, and it feels like the entire lower back hurts. So when checking the affected area, the patient himself/herself often does not know exactly where the pain is coming from.
Here, I will take the "quadratus lumbar muscle" and "multifidus muscle", which are located deep in the body, as an example.
"Quadratus lumbar muscle" ・・・Helps with the action of bending the trunk (lumbar vertebrae) backwards and laterally
"Multifidus muscle" ・・・ Connect and support the spine from the neck to the waist
Both are muscles that play an important role around the waist.
The roles here does not mean the "power" of lifting heavy objects, but supporting the trunk in a standing or sitting position and performing slight wideth movements.
Our daily life is dominated by such repetitive motions. Therefore, if a problem occurs here, it will interfere with daily activities, and it may become difficult to live comfortably in the future.
Next, you will lie down on the treatment bed, but since this is often difficult, firstly I would like you to take your time and adjust your posture.
Firstly, I check the conditions by having the patient lying on their back with their knees bent. Then I'd ask the patient to lie down on their stomach.
This is ideal position, however if that's not possible, I would start treatment with a sitting position.
The key here is to try to be as relaxed as possible and breathe slowly.
Whether you are lying down or sitting down, we will find a position that relieves muscle tension and guide you in the direction that relieves pain as much as possible.
Preceding pain and fear during treatment hinders recovery. Keep calm and let's work together.
Appropriate amount of stimulation to the affected area (major part) and related areas
First of all, we approach the quadratus lumbar muscle and multifidus muscle, which are often damaged by slipped disc.
In addition, acupuncture and moxibustion will be applied with moderate stimulation to the muscles of the lower limbs (hamstrings and triceps surae) and abdomen (iliopsoas) that are excessively tense in order to protect the injured area.
The key here is that the acupuncture treatment on the affected area should be barely felt, and the stimulation to the affected area should be just enough to release muscle tension.
In the case of acupuncture and moxibustion, even a small amount of stimulation works well on the affected area.
Even lightly touching the affected area could hurt intensely, so I'd always keep in mind to touch the affected area carefully and gently.
Follow-up for non-affected areas and minor parts
The above is the example treatment for major part (affected area) of slipped disc, and the condition is monitored post treatment.
In the meantime, I will further look for more areas with muscle tension or abnormality.
While some patients gradually become able to recognize the center of pain and major areas, they may not notice much about the tension in the body parts away from the affected area. It is very important to find and relax the muscle tension and abnormalities hidden behind the mainly affected area (minor part).
I will work on relieving the pain with acupuncture and moxibustion, and relax tension with manipulative conditioning.
Although it takes time for the inflammation to subside, the treatment by manipulative conditioning treatment puts the body in a relaxed state, suppresses inflammation, and promotes the recovery process.
The key here is to tailor the approach to your individual muscle condition.
For the minor part away from the affected area, depending on the patient, I apply a fair amount of force to loosen the muscles and ligaments. It is important to properly and accurately determine the condition of the body, select the appropriate treatment method, strength and frequency.
The importance of treating both major part and minor part
In this blog post I explained one of the slipped disc treatment example.
The conditions of the body differs from person to person, and in some cases treatment of minor parts may come before treatment of major parts. In any case I believe it is crutial to treat the minor part as well as the major part.
In order to improve the symptoms, this process should be performed 3 to 5 times as a guideline.
If you have a slipped disc, if you are at a loss about what to do with your daily life because of the pain, or if you don't want to repeat the unbearable pain, please contact me. I hope I can be of some help.
Daisuke Tazawa
BODYWORKS AZABU
The image is borrowed from here.