If you’ve ever had sciatica you know it can be quite an “unnerving” problem. The sciatic nerve is the largest nerve in your body. It’s approximately as thick around as your thumb, running from your lower back down to your feet. So when something is pinching or blocking that nerve, that can cause a whole lot of pain.

Disc herniations, arthritis, bone spurs, pulled muscles, spinal stenosis, and pregnancy are just some of the ways that sciatica can start. At Blue Jean Acupuncture we have treated every version of sciatica in hundreds of different patients. It is one of our most commonly treated symptoms. Most of our sciatica patients have treatments with us, and leave feeling noticeably better after even their first session.

Even the World Health Organization recognizes and lists acupuncture as one of the best treatments for this condition. How does it help? Acupuncture significantly boosts circulation to the injured area, increases endorphin production, reduces swelling, and relaxes muscle tissue, all contributing to reduction of pain. And unlike pain killers, acupuncture treatment actually heals as it reduces your pain vs. just covering up the pain.

Another strength of the Chinese medical system is that we look beyond just treating the point of pain itself and also investigate any underlying factors which may be contributing to the pain, or are inhibiting healing. If your body is energy deficient, or has weak blood, has poor circulation, or poor energy, internalized dampness or mucous from eating the wrong foods, internalized coldness or heat, constitutional weakness, those are all issues that can cause pain or keep you from healing. We practice a holistic medicine and therefore recognize that many different factors influence the outcome of treatments for pain. We treat your body as a whole system to help you get naturally sustained pain relief.