Sciatica is a symptom/pain/sensory experience that radiates from the lower back down the butt and leg. It's caused by compression of the sciatic nerve, which runs from the lower spine through the butt and down the leg. Acupuncture treatments depend on where the compression is:
Should you just get acupuncture? Or combine the sessions with physical therapy? In my experience it is best to address sciatica with a combination of acupuncture and physical therapy. Acupuncure by the very nature of needling into the tissue allows for faster pain / symptom relief. Physical therapy is invaluable to build a strong, flexible and functional body, preventing the symptoms from reappearing. How many sessions will you need? The amount of sessions one needs depend on whether the cause of sciatica is a herniated / bulging disc, a misaligned hip, or “just” tightness. “Just” tightness is an easier fix, than someone suffering from poor core control and a misaligned hip. Healing also depends on the fitness level of the individual as building proper strength and flexibility takes time. Schedule your session today if you experience sciatica, with proper evaluation and treatment healing is very much possible.
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In this post I am going to go over the products I use most frequently in the clinic, recommend patients for home use between sessions, and to keep in the home emergency kit for pain relief and faster recovery. These formulas have been around for centuries, used by generations of martial arts practitioners, Chinese medicine practitioners, sports medicine doctors, and bone setters. They are all safe, tried and tested, natural herbal products to aid healing and recovery. There are three stages of injury healing: acute or stage one, subacute or stage two, and chronic or stage three. Acute/ Stage One: This stage starts from the moment the injury happens and usually lasts 1-7 days. If the trauma is minor, this stage may only last 2-3 days. If it is more severe, it may be a full week before swelling, bruising and pain begin to subside. Stage One injuries are characterized by swelling, pain, bruising, and possibly a local sensation of heat (inflammation in western medicine). Treatment goals for Stage One is to restore normal circulation at the injury site: reduce swelling, pain, inflammation and stopping infection. At this stage, external herbal formulas tend to be relatively cooling or neutral in temperature, while internal formulas generally focus on restoring circulation, removing stagnation and stopping pain and infection. Chinese medicine is about balance - warming and cooling. In Stage One we avoid heat, hot compresses, warm soaks, heating pads, and hot tubs. Adding heat to an already inflamed tissue is like throwing gasoline on the fire. Heat results in more swelling and pain, thereby delaying the healing. Warming therapies are useful in the Stage Two (Subacute) and Stage Three (Chronic) phases when the initial inflammation and swelling is greatly reduced or absent. External use:
The second product worth keeping at home for emergencies is Herbal Ice, or San Huang San, for pain, swelling and inflammation:
An other poultice worth keeping at home for emergencies is Stage One Trauma Ointment: this one is for bruises.
Subacute / Stage Two: This stage usually begins within a week after the initial injury and can last up to three weeks, depending on the severity of the injury and the patient's condition (a younger, healthier person usually recovers faster). By Subacute / Stage Two the swelling, heat, and pain is reduced, but the tissue is often stiff and needs to be broken up and mobilized. In Stage One we don’t recommend using heat or warming herbs, but in the Subacute / Stage Two we switch to more warming herbs, topicals, poultices and liniments. Treatment goals for Stage Two is to resolve the residual swelling, improve circulation for healing and reduce stiffness. Stiffness usually develops from the lack of movement, so we use herbs (and acupuncture and manual therapy and exercise) to relieve stiffness in the joints and tissue. External use:
Chronic / Stage Three: This stage begins 3-4 weeks after the injury. Swelling is usually gone, but stiffness, pain and restricted motion, adhesions may still be present. Minor injuries should be healed by this point, especially if they were treated properly at the beginning. However, injuries to tendons and ligaments can take up to 6-8 weeks to heal completely and in severe cases, or in depleted individuals can take even longer. Stage Three herbs are quite warming and tonifying, in this stage we don’t use cold or cooling, because we believe cold constricts and slows the healing progress. Externally continue use the Tendon Lotion and U-I oil to aid healing, if the tissue hasn't healed yet.
Also worth getting acupuncture in all three stages.
In Stage One various acupuncture points are used to decrease pain, swelling, aid healing and calm the nervous system (so the body can focus on healing). In Stage Two the acupuncture needle is invaluable to break up the tight, stiff tissue and to promote healing. In Stage Three acupuncture is used mostly to tonify the body and calm the nervous system. For questions email us for acupuncture make an appointment. Hi there - in this article I am going to cover two of my favorite pain patches I use on myself and also on patients. I like them for both acute and chronic pain relief. I use them for neck pain, when I slept wrong, thumb pain, when I worked a lot, give it to patients for low back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, muscle spasm, Achilles tendonitis, bursitis, arthritis, bruises etc. I like them, because besides the commonly used methyl salicylate, menthol and camphor they contain various plant extracts, so you get the therapeutic effects of plants as well, not just symptom relief. Also, because they stay on for hours even after multiple handwashing. Their similarities: 1. they both have a strong minty smell - they both contain menthol, camphor and methyl salicylate (wintergreen oil). These three often used together to topically relieve mild to moderate pain, irritation and itching. The strong minty smell and cooling provide a distraction, different sensation to the brain, so the body can focus on a different narrative besides the pain. 2. they both contain various plant extracts that have pain, swelling, inflammation relieving and tissue regenerating properties. This is what differentiates them from other over the counter pain patches. 3. They are pretty long, the 701 Plaster is 3.93 x 157 inches long. The Wu Yang Patch is 3.9 x 78.7 inches long. The differences between the two and how to choose which one to use: They have different ingredients, as different plant extracts are used in them. The Wu Yang Patch can be used for all stages of injury. It can also be used instead of ice (in Chinese Medicine we believe, that ice delays the healing), because it has herbs in it that reduce pain, swelling and inflammation. The 701 Medicated Plaster is a slightly warming plaster. It is used for older injuries (subacute or chronic phase), because it contains herbs that are more warming (think pepper), that may aggravate a new (acute) injury. Examples for usage: When you just threw your back or neck out: use Wu Yang Patch. Old chronic neck / low back pain: use 701 Plaster When you fell off a bike and have a massive bruise: use Wu Yang Patch Acute Achilles pain: use Wu Yang Patch Old Achilles pain: use 701 Plaster Old injury that is painful in the cold: use 701 Plaster. Old shoulder pain: use 701 Plaster Arthritis: use 701 Plaster Old Bunion pain: use 701 Plaster Gout: use Wu Yang Patch You get the idea... New injury: you want to cool (but not ice), so use Wu Yang Patch. Old injury: you want to warm (please never ice an old, chronic injury...) use 701 Plaster. For best outcome and proper healing use pain patches as a modality besides acupuncture, corrective exercises and other therapeutic methods. Do not use pain patches on open wounds. For open wounds, cuts, abrasion use San Qi, buy here. If you have delicate skin, be careful of wearing the patches on the same spot repeatedly, or day after day, because the skin may get irritated beneath the patch. Also if the pain is recurring or not getting better it’s better so seek help from a health care professional you trust - your doctor, acupuncturist, physical therapist, chiropractor, whomever you trust. Pain is often a signal of improper body use, which can cause joint and tissue damage. Simply masking the pain allows one to continue the misuse without correcting it. Pain is a sign that something is not right and with ample focus and quality care pain - even chronic pain - can be lessened or even completely fixed. Buy 701 plaster here. Wu Yang Patch here.
the control group, when they examined whether acupuncture has an effect on wound healing in injured rats.
In this video Dr. Thomas N. Leung, Pharm BS., DACM, L.Ac, CEO of Kamwo Herbs explains how San Qi (Pseudoginseng) and Bai Zhu (Atractylodes macrocephala) facilitates closing of open bedsores, non healing ulcers and diabetic sores. Read more on non healing sores here, here and here. Purchase a jar of Regenicare here and San Qi here.
Joint limitation leading to pain in other parts of the body - importance of full body mobility.
Muscles need two things in order to properly work: activation and strength.
![]() Myofascial trigger points are palpable knots, a wad of muscle fibers staying in a hard contraction, never relaxing. They may cause localized pain, referred pain or reduced range of motion and function. Whether they are caused by new or old injuries, improper or overtraining, incorrect posture or just life, trigger point acupuncture/dry needling is very effective in the treatment of muscle pains and help to return the natural balance to your muscles. Your dry needling sessions are complimented with evaluation of your movement and suggestion of corrective exercises are also provided. These two I find are essential to really correct and overcome the problem. Dry needling is one of the safest ways to address physical problems such as chronic neck, back pain, sciatica, TMJ, tension headaches or whiplash injuries . Schedule your session today if you experience pain.
I noticed over the years that my Parkinson’s patients, who do Pilates not only deteriorate slower, but actually, make progress. They are less stiff, able to stand up taller, have better balance and better control over their body and movements. In this video I am sharing my experience teaching Pilates to patients with Parkinson's Disease, and explain why I prefer the Pilates Chair and Cadillac over the Barrel, Mat or Reformer. If you have any questions regarding teaching Pilates to patients with Parkinson's, or if you have Parkinson's and have a question regarding Pilates, please feel free to reach out.
‼️This video is for informational purposes only, when bleeding is heavy and presents a danger, the person must be sent to hospital immediately, however having access to medicine that could save life is always useful. These formulas are for short term use only, mostly for emergencies. Can’t be taken during pregnancy, because it could harm the fetus‼️
Recent case success - closing a non healing wound with the herb San Qi (Pseudoginseng) in just over two weeks. After evaluation the injury was sprinkled over with San Qi, then covered with a gauze. Patient was sent home with a bottle of San Qi, and was instructed to repeat the treatment once a day after showering. With the daily treatments the wound closed in just little over two weeks. San Qi is the herb I frequently prescribe for pressure ulcers and pressure sores as well. Purchase a bottle here San Qi - Pseudoginseng Root
San Qi (Radix Notoginseng) therapeutic actions: San Qi has a unique ability to stop bleeding without causing blood stasis, and can be taken internally or applied topically. Clinically, it treats hematemesis, hemoptysis, epistaxis, hematochezia, profuse menstrual bleeding, profuse postpartum bleeding, and external bleeding arising from trauma. San Qi also treats various external injuries such as bruises, swelling, inflammation and pain. Clinical applications include falls, sprains, fractures, contusions, and other traumatic injuries. Dosage: 3 to 10 grams as herbal decoction. 1.0 to 1.5 grams per dose as powder, one to three times daily. In severe cases of bleeding, the dosage of San Qi is increased to 3 to 6grams of powder orally, two to three times daily. This herb is often used as powder or pills instead of decoction, because of its high cost. Cautions / Contraindications: • Use San Qi with caution during pregnancy. • Use of San Qi is sometimes associated with the following side effects: nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, dizziness, headache, toothache, fatigue, and restlessness. For Pharmacological effects, clinical studies and research, herb-drug interactions and toxicology please refer to Chinese Medical Herbology and Pharmacology by John K. Chen & Tina T. Chen Move and train against tendency, move your body in all three planes to avoid injury and to build a strong, functional and efficient body. |
‼️ Traditional Chinese Medicine is powerful and reliable, but it can be complex. Please understand that this is a blog, which was made for educational, informational and entertaining purposes only, and is not a substitute for proper individualized medical care. Please do not discontinue any medical treatment, including prescription medications based on what you watch or read here. If you want to modify your existing treatment plan, discuss such changes with your licensed healthcare provider. You are ultimately responsible for your health and health care. In case of serious injury, seek appropriate medical care immediately ‼️
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