https://mbp-japan.com/jijico/articles/31754/
Modified and translated by CFJA
Acupuncture cures mental stress
Nowadays, there has been a number of medical projects dealing with acupuncture and moxibustion in treating conditions that cannot be treated by western medicine alone. This shows the high hopes for the basic approach of Eastern medicine, which is to look at the illness from both the “body” and the “mind”, as well as the concept of looking at the balance of the body, not as ‘parts’ but as a ‘whole’.
As it was mentioned earlier, 93% of back pain is caused by mental stress; acupuncture is what can help to treat this type of mental stress. If a strained back is from physical fatigue, avoiding taking a bath and getting plenty of sleep and rest will lead to alleviating the pain. If pain persists until the next day, it is presumed that the pain is caused by strong mental stress. Acupuncture will give the effect of leading the body to stabilize its mental state. In some cases, if the back pain is caused by an unstable mental state, receiving one acupuncture treatment on the day of the onset can alleviate the pain.
Moxibustion helps blood circulation and relieve stiffness
Moxibustion is effective when there is muscle or internal organ fatigue. As mentioned in the beginning, a strained back can be caused even by a small movement in daily life. Muscle fatigue is one of the reasons why it can happen from such a small movement. Not only does muscle fatigue occurs in intense sports and exercise, but it also occurs in daily life. When muscle fatigue is at its peak, the slightest pressure on the lower back can turn into an excessive one, leading to getting a strained back.
Internal organs fatigue can also contribute to back pain by straining the muscles on the lower back from the inside of the body. Moxibustion helps the blood circulation, which eases the fatigue of muscles and organs and eventually relieves stiffness of the muscles and joints. In any case, 2 – 3 times of moxibustion can lead to a good result of alleviating the back pain.
Recurrence prevention of a strained back and back pain prevention
Strained back can recur even after a single one. Data shows that after having a strained back, about 25% face recurrence within a year. Hence, it is very important to know the ways to prevent it from happening again. One of the things to be aware of in daily life is to avoid getting into a posture where it puts too much pressure on the back. For example, avoid slouching and keep a good posture when sitting on the chair. To maintain a good posture, abdominal and back muscles play an important role, thus even a light exercise, such as walking, can strengthen abdominal and back muscles. Stretching that helps to loosen muscles can also contribute to the recurrence prevention of the strained back. The right amount of exercise can also lead to reducing mental stress, one of the biggest causes of getting a strained back.