How effective is moxibustion in treating low back pain?

Low back pain has always been a common bone and joint disease in clinical Chinese medicine. There are many reasons for low back pain, some of which are caused by chronic strain, and some are caused by functional diseases. We should adopt targeted treatment plans for different reasons to achieve the best treatment effect. Moxibustion is a treatment method that has the effect of warming the meridians and unblocking the collaterals, and it is also very effective in treating low back pain.

Moxibustion is a traditional treatment method in Chinese medicine. It has the effects of warming the meridians and dispelling cold, warming and unblocking the meridians, activating blood circulation and removing numbness, eliminating stasis and dispersing nodules, supporting yang and consolidating deficiency, preventing diseases and maintaining health. It has a good therapeutic effect on chronic low back pain. There are many methods of moxibustion, including moxa cone moxibustion, moxa roll moxibustion, warm needle moxibustion and warm moxibustion device moxibustion. When applying moxibustion on the waist, acupoint selection is a critical step. The first acupoints to choose are Mingmen and Shenshu, and then the pain points are selected. Mingmen point is a key point on the Du meridian of the human body. It is located between the two kidneys on the back, below the spinous process of the second lumbar vertebra, and opposite to the navel; Shenshu point is located 1.5 inches lateral to the spinous process of the second lumbar vertebra, that is, 1.5 inches lateral to both sides of Mingmen point. These three acupoints have the function of strengthening the waist and kidneys, and are important acupoints for treating low back pain.

After selecting the acupoints, light one end of the moxa stick, aim it at the acupoints or affected area, and smoke it about 2-3 cm away from the skin, so that the local area feels warm but not burning pain, until the skin turns red; or keep the lighted end of the moxa stick at a certain distance from the skin of the moxibustion area, but do not fix it, but move it to the left and right or rotate it repeatedly to apply moxibustion; or the lighted end of the moxa stick is not fixed at a certain distance from the skin of the moxibustion area, but moxibustion is applied up and down like a bird pecking at food.

Moxibustion is quite effective in treating low back pain. It is also very important to take good care of patients with low back pain in life. They must maintain good living habits and avoid letting their waist and legs get cold. To prevent excessive fatigue of the waist, you must stand or sit in the correct posture to avoid uneven force on the lumbar spine and symptoms such as lumbar disc herniation. At the same time, you should be careful not to exercise too much to avoid straining the lumbar ligaments.