I get a lot of calls from people suffering with sciatica. They experience tingling and burning in their lower backs and the discomfort often goes down the path of the sciatic nerve into the leg. They report numbness and pain and often experience muscle weakness resulting from interrupted nerve signals. They want to know if acupuncture can help them. Acupuncture can indeed be effective in treating sciatica. It works by stimulating the body’s own ability to release anti-inflammatories and painkillers to reduce inflammation and pain in the lower back. It targets the muscles and nerves involved in the problem area to release tightness, decreasing muscular spasm around the sciatic nerve. In this way it increases the range of motion in the back and restores muscle tissue and nerve function, facilitating healing.
A course of acupuncture treatment would aim to reduce the frequency and intensity of the pain and restore normal function. The number of treatments needed would depend on various factors such whether the sciatica had an acute onset or was chronic in nature. A young person with acute onset might need six treatments over three weeks. A chronic case might need more, typically sixteen treatments over eight weeks to really resolve the issue.