A man in his early 60s presented with intense lower back pain. He is very active, health conscious, and participates in racing cars and flying planes. About 5 years prior he was diagnosed with a herniated disk at L4-L5 and L5-S1 which caused debilitating sciatica pain. He had been treated with great success using acupuncture, but he had not experienced significant pain since then until recently after he crashed during one of his races. Everything stiffened up, with some minor bruises, and then the lower back pain began and persisted. After attempting to rest it, take anti-inflammatories, and heat therapy, he realized he needed help.

He presented with a slightly forward bending posture due to the pain and was careful with getting up and down. I treated him with acupuncture with a light current to provide additional stimulation, infrared therapy, and topical herbs. He had a total of 4 treatments over a 14-day period until his pain was relieved. He admits to not being the most compliant patient, but although he didn’t perform any of the homework I gave him to help improve his back, he still responded well.

Update:

Now he comes to the clinic once a month to keep his body from getting too tight and stiff with all the activities he is involved in.

Disclaimer

Every success story on this website is from a patient of Dr. Erin West. All patient testimonials were unsolicited. No one was paid for a testimonial or endorsement. Before and after photos were not retouched or altered. Results were self-reported by the customer and therefore cannot be confirmed.  Results may not be typical.