Back pain worse after acupuncture… any help please?

[mechanicalpencil]

DH has had chronic back pain for decades.

In that time he has seen multiple:
doctors
physios
osteopaths
chiropractors
massage therapists

and yet the pain always recurs. He is currently in a very bad bout including sciatica but the pain seems to move about, sometimes in the leg, sometimes in the back etc. GP pretty much said not much can be done but has prescribed painkillers and suggested he has physio again.

I suggested acupuncture as I have had success with it in the past. According to the acupuncturist, one of the needles in his lower back immediately reacted and the area went red. He said that needle was very painful. No problem with other needles but the acupuncturist only did a few.

He didn’t feel any different when he got up, he went home still no change. He had a rest, then a few hours later all his back pain had gone! It was incredible… NO BACK PAIN or sciatica at all.

But… the next morning he woke up in pain again, only this time much worse than before the acupuncture.

What has happened here? Has the acupuncture somehow made it worse? Or is it part of the healing process? Is it worth trying it again?

This is just a general plea for help really. I hate seeing him in so much pain and it’s really getting him down.

I would be really grateful if you could share your tips for back pain and especially if anyone has any insight as to what happened in the acupuncture session.

Thank you.

@mechanicalpencil how is your hubby now

@OP your husband hasn’t had acupuncture, he’s had dry needling. In order to give acupuncture, the practitioner must have studied acupuncture for 3 years at degree level (if they are British, in China training is even longer).

acupuncture is excellent for what you’re describing but you need to see an acupuncturist registered with the BAcC or the AAC. There is a MAjOR problem in this country with lack of regulation which allow people like physios to call themselves acupuncturists when the reality is they have had a few hours of dry needling training.

it’s not an immediate cure, he will likely need 4-5 treatments but from experience in my own clinic, I see a 70-75% success rate (reducing pain to less than a 2 for 3 months +)

@Cactiiii you are correct. Physio call it accu but it's dry needling and they have no skill at all if anything a lot of Physio are cowboys