Julie is a 52 year old female who walked into my office back in December with a multitude of issues spanning from severe digestive discomfort to massive and unrelenting back pain. She had been diagnosed months prior with severe spinal stenosis in her lower lumbar vertebrae. In western medical terms this meant a lifetime of agonizing pain, severely limited range of motion, and a definite need for surgery which offers little hope of relief. After exhausting all other options her surgeon had set a date of July 12th, 2016. Julie had tried pain killers and prescription anti inflammatories which left her nauseous and loopy, and still in a substantial amount of pain. It was on that cool winter morning that Julie walked into The Acupuncture Center here in Morristown, NJ and her path to recovery and wellness began.
Are you suffering from pain and doctors are recommending surgery? Try acupuncture first!
Julie was thankfully referred to us by a coworker who had great success from her treatments. She had very good health insurance so her treatments were 100% covered! Lumbar spinal stenosis is a narrowing of the spinal canal causing difficulty walking, balance issues, crippling leg and low back pain, and numbness in the legs and feet. Julie had been suffering for years with the above mentioned symptoms, and often times would have to stay home from her job as a teacher because standing on her feet all day was near impossible. From the moment she stepped off of the table of her very first acupuncture treatment she felt a difference.
I diagnosed her from a Chinese medical perspective with kidney yin deficiency, Spleen qi deficiency and liver qi stagnation leading to a lot of heat and dampness in her body. She wasn't taking any medications for the pain so I started her on turmeric capsules twice a day to help bring inflammation down. I started her acupuncture treatments by needling into the areas where the spinal stenosis was present, in her case around the L4/L5 vertebrae, and I also needled distal points in the ears arms and legs that related to inflammation and pain relief. I applied electrical stimulation (Sounds scary but I promise it isn't) onto the needles in her low back. This allows for a stronger surging of qi and blood into the area causing a massive reduction in inflammation. I also advised Julie to apply a heating pad to low back and to massage some white flower oil into the areas where pain was present. This oil is incredible at soothing the muscles and providing relief.
After several treatments she began to feel a remarkable difference in her pain levels, which went from a 10/10 down to a 5/10. With continued twice weekly treatments her pain levels are now a 0/10 on most days, with an occasional twinge showing up when heavier periods of activity are taking place. Because the acupuncture was so effective on her back, she is no longer scheduled for surgery and continues to come in for weekly/ bi weekly acupuncture treatments to maintain the results she has achieved! I couldn't be more excited for this woman, and I consider her to be the standard of relief that can be expected for patients who adhere to the twice weekly acupuncture treatments and take an herbal anti inflammatory. Julie got her life back, and is one of our biggest cheerleaders here at ACNJ. Contact me to learn more or hear from Julie directly.