Expert: Coninyah B. Dew - 1/26/2009

Question
about 3 yrs ago i started having major low back pain. when i explained this to my MD he could not find anything for awhile. finally he send me for a MRI and found out i had a slight curvature of the spine and arthritis in three areas- lumbar 2,3,4. the pain specialist he sent me to tried lumbar facet. no releif. then he just completed the last of 3 epidural steroid shots. the epi shots only provide temporary relief for about a week. i am 35 years old and do not know where to go from here. my follow up is in a couple of weeks. what do you suggest? do you have any advice on what i can do? please advise. thanks for your time.

Answer
Hello Chanel,

Thank you for your question. Back pain is a condition affecting many people for various different reasons. In your case, arthritis with curvature of the spine is a complicated condition. Oriental medicine does have many modalities for treating your condition. Such therapies may include acupuncture with the induction of electrical stimulation or herbal formulations or a combination of the two. Most oriental medicine practitioners would lean towards the last option. There is also an emotional component that often accompanies pain which acupuncture addresses very well. As an acupuncturist works with both your physical and emotional conditions, pain relief can be achieved. I do however have to admit that each person's response to acupuncture varies. What this means is you may experience pain relief from a day to a week and everything in between. One thing is certain though, multiple treatments would be necessary in order to reach stabilization of your symptoms. I don't know without a complete workup if complete pain relief is a realistic goal unfortunately. I say this only to set the proper expectations as you continue to weigh your options. I would encourage you to schedule and appointment with a licensed acupuncturist who also has a foundation in herbal formulations. He/She can provide more in depth guidance through in clinic evaluation. I do hope this has been helpful. Should you have more specific questions, please do not hesitate to ask. I wish you all the best.

Warmest regards,
Coninyah B. Dew L.Ac., M.S.O.M.
Acupuncture Stress and Pain Management Practices