Weekly at first, then every two weeks.
At a glance
Sciatic pain radiating from the lower back through the buttock and down the leg was relieved after a course of treatment.
Presentation
A 71-year-old patient had pain radiating from her lower back to her buttock and down her leg on the right side.
Diagnosis
- Her tongue and skin looked very dry, and it turned out she had been soaking warming Chinese herbs and drinking the decoction every day for over a year. Her body is the Yin-deficient type, which isn’t suited to warming herbs. Drinking a warming decoction every day is like putting a dry pot on the fire every day, and over time this contributed to the sciatica.
- The pain was located on the Urinary Bladder (UB) and Gall Bladder (GB) meridians in the lower back, buttock and leg, where there was Qi stagnation.
Treatment
- Acupuncture — needling the Lung and Heart meridians on the arms with a reducing method to balance the UB and GB meridians in the lower back, buttock and leg, using Dr. Tan’s balance method, which helps break up the Qi stagnation on the UB and GB meridians
- Herbal medicine — formulas to tonify Yin and body fluids
- Home care — stopping the warming herbal decoction, which doesn’t suit a Yin-deficient body type
Result
At first she didn’t want to stop the warming decoction, so although the pain eased during each acupuncture treatment, it came back. Once she stopped the decoction and started the prescribed herbal formulas, the sciatic pain became less and less severe and finally went away for good.
Sciatica usually takes fewer than ten treatments in younger, stronger patients, but often takes much longer in older patients or those whose bodies are weaker.
Additional notes
This reflects an individual patient experience, not clinical trial data.
Results vary from person to person depending on the condition, its severity, and how an individual responds to treatment. TCM and acupuncture are not a substitute for care from your physician or another regulated health professional. If you’re dealing with a serious or urgent symptom, please see a doctor first.