Deadlifts killing your back? How acupuncture eases pain with heavy lifting.

Do you lift heavy?

Let’s narrow it down a little bit, do you deadlift heavy?

Back pain can be associated with heavy deadlifting, but we are not going full blown disc herniations for this blog post, more so focusing on sprains and strains.

Pain can sometimes be associated with improper form, but let’s be realistic. If you are looking to make the weight of those power lifters in the gym, it’s going to happen.

Our lower back is composed of three different muscle groups: extensors, flexors and obliques.

The extensor group are found on the back of the spine and allow standing and lifting objects. They are composed of the paraspinals and the erector spinae which hold up the spine and the glute muscles.

The flexor group is located on the front of the spine and allow flexing, lifting, bending forward, and arching the back. Muscles in this group include the abdominal muscles and iliopsoas.

The oblique group are attached at the side of the spine and allow rotation and the maintenance of proper posture. Muscles included in this group include the internal and external obliques.

Symptoms that can occur for acute (sudden and not long-term injuries) include:

- sudden onset of pain

- muscle spasms with activity or rest

- localized pain that may radiate to the glutes, but does not go down the leg

- stiffness that restricts normal range of motion (ROM)

- inability to maintain normal posture

- pain that persist for a maximum or 2 weeks or 14 days

- pain that is constant and aching, or intermittent and sharp

Have you ever considered acupuncture for pain relief and to speed up the healing process?

Twenty-four to forty-eight hours after the initial injury, acupuncture can be beneficial to reduce swelling and regain range of motion faster than usual methods of rehabilitation due to our ability to use Bleeding Cupping and treat using Mirror Theory. Want to know what these are? Contact me!

Acupuncture is also beneficial in pain reduction without the use of OTC (over the counter) medications. This is done with acupuncture needle insertion along the affected meridian, localized area or mirror theory and allows the flow of qi to continue uninterrupted along its pathway. This works in concept of the Gate Control Theory by closing the gate and reducing the sensation of pain that is interpreted in the brain.

Other modalities such as cupping, gua sha, electrical stimulation, ear seeds and more may be used in conjunction with acupuncture to bring new nutrients to the area and remove the byproducts of pain and inflammation.

Want some quick and easy preventative tips?

1. Strengthen your core. This doesn’t mean doing a crazy number of abdominal workouts but learning how to engage your stabilizing muscles while performing heavy lifting. This can improve technique and reduce chance of injury.

2. Use correct technique. If you don’t know how, ask. USE SPOTTERS if you are lifting heavy. Bend with your knees, not your back.

3. Use correct posture in everyday activities. Sit up straight, walk tall. This makes your body used to stabilizing itself and can help with overall injury reduction to your lower back.

Focus on these things to keep the pain to a minimum.

1. Don’t create excessive arching or rounding of your back.

2. Think about pushing rather than pulling.

3. Keep the bar close to your body.

4. Don’t lean back at the top.

5. Brace your core.

6. Stay balanced from side to side.