Expert: Coninyah B. Dew - 3/3/2009

Question
Hello!  I am a 26/F and have had increasing pain from an MVA in July of 2008.  Immediately after I sought help from an attorney who referred me to a Chiropractor and a Pain Management doctor.  For several months I had chiropractic visits (sometimes 2-3 times a week) with little relief.  During that time I have had four epidural injections.  I have 2 mild bulging discs in the lumbar and thoracic region along with mild compression fractures in the thoracic region.  All of this pain is accompanied by tingling in my thoracic area.  
I have had two acupuncture treatments, so far.  Both times caused me to be really sore (which, I understand is normal)  It's been 3 days now since my last visit and I feel like my pain is increased and now, I'm having pain in different areas of my back.  Is this normal?  I'm wondering if it is when it will feel better?  Hope I have provided enough details for you.  Also, I thank you in advance! -Jen

Answer
Hello Jennifer,

First of all thank you for your question and for the opportunity to serve you. I am sorry to hear of your accident and subsequent pain it has caused you. I want to also thank you for trusting the acupuncture profession enough to allow us to assist you in treating your condition.

There are several things that I must address before answering your question however. The first of which is with all injuries there is a degree of stasis of qi and blood. This stasis, depending on the chronicity of the condition, can result in larger degrees of stagnation (i.e. the longer the condition, the larger the stagnation).

Because of this affect, the treatments may require numerous visits in order to stabilize your pain. I liken stasis to a bolus caught in a tube that is blocking the normal flow of fluids and nutrients. There are two primary ways of treating such blockages depending on its nature: 1) shrinking and dissipating the blockage or 2) increasing the pressure of the fluids and nutrients to dislodge the blockage.

Acupuncture does by its nature increase the flow of fluids and nutrients to deficient areas of the body. So to answer your question, yes it is possible to experience an increase in pain when treating your condition. The increase in pain however should not progress to the point where noticeable relief is not being achieved after the initial increase. My suspect is your treatments may be slightly too "moving". I would encourage you to have a discussion with you current acupuncturist about the affects you are experiencing. Ask him or her what may be done to decrease the pain experienced following treatments and what you can expect in terms of stabilization of your pain. Not knowing your full work up, I cannot say whether full pain relief is a realistic expectation. I however, again not having a full work up, cannot say that is not. That I will leave to you current provider.

I do hope you have found this information helpful and I do wish you all the best. Should you have additional questions, please feel free to reach out to me.

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