Acupuncture for Sciatica & Persistent Sciatic Pain
Experienced in complex back pain and chronic musculoskeletal conditions.
When the place that hurts may not tell the whole story
Sciatica is one of the most common pain complaints seen in our practice and an area in which Zhen-Sheng Gao has extensive clinical experience.
Many patients come to Gao after sciatic pain has persisted or returned despite previous care. Some have already tried medication, physical therapy, chiropractic care, injections or other approaches and are looking for another way to understand and address their pain.
Gao's approach begins with an important question: Why is this particular person experiencing sciatic pain?
Gao Looks Beyond the Location of the Pain
Sciatic pain is commonly associated with irritation or compression involving the sciatic nerve or the nerve roots that contribute to it. But patients can present with similar pain patterns for different reasons, which is why Gao does not assume that every case of sciatica should be treated the same way.
Over more than five decades of clinical practice, Gao has repeatedly observed an important pattern in many of the patients who come to him with sciatic pain: pelvic position, muscular tension and surrounding soft-tissue patterns may be contributing to the way the patient's pain presents.
For that reason, his evaluation does not necessarily stop at the lower back or at the place where the patient feels pain.
He may examine and palpate the lower back, pelvis, hips, buttocks and surrounding tissues, looking for physical patterns that can help guide an individualized acupuncture treatment.
Years of hands-on clinical experience have given Gao an exceptional ability to recognize subtle tissue changes through examination and palpation—patterns that help guide treatment.
Why the Pelvis Matters in Gao's Approach
The pelvis forms the structural connection between the spine and lower extremities. Changes in muscular tension, movement and pelvic mechanics can influence how forces are distributed through the lower back, hips and surrounding tissues.
In Gao's clinical experience, pelvic and surrounding soft-tissue patterns are frequently important findings in patients who present with persistent or recurring sciatic pain.
This is a significant part of what he evaluates when a patient comes to him with sciatica.
It does not mean that every case of sciatica originates in the pelvis. Sciatic symptoms can have different causes, and symptoms requiring medical investigation should be evaluated by an appropriate healthcare professional.
What it does mean is that Gao looks beyond the symptom itself before deciding how he will approach treatment.
When Previous Treatment Hasn't Been Enough
People often seek acupuncture because they are still experiencing pain despite previous treatment or because they would like to explore conservative options before considering more invasive interventions.
Gao does not promise that acupuncture will eliminate the need for injections, medication or surgery, and there are circumstances in which conventional medical treatment or surgical evaluation may be necessary.
But persistent pain does not automatically mean that every reasonable conservative approach has been exhausted.
For patients who feel they have tried everything, a different way of evaluating the pattern may provide a useful next step.
An Individualized Approach to Sciatica
Treatment is based upon what Gao finds during the individual evaluation rather than a predetermined set of acupuncture points for everyone diagnosed with sciatica. Depending upon the patient's presentation, treatment may involve acupuncture and other Traditional Chinese Medicine techniques directed toward patterns identified during the examination.
The objective is not simply to place needles where it hurts. The objective is to understand the individual pain pattern well enough to determine an appropriate treatment approach.
More Than Five Decades of Clinical Pattern Recognition
Gao has spent more than fifty years developing the hands-on observation and pattern-recognition skills he brings to difficult pain presentations.
Sciatica has become a particular area of clinical focus in his practice. Patients frequently seek him out when sciatic pain has become persistent, recurring or difficult to resolve—and when they want another experienced practitioner to take a careful look at the problem.
If your sciatica hasn't improved as expected, the next step may not be another assumption about what is causing it. It may be a more individualized evaluation.
Acupuncture outcomes vary by individual. Acupuncture evaluation and treatment are not substitutes for emergency care or medical evaluation when medically indicated.
Many patients come to Gao after sciatic pain has persisted or returned despite previous care. Some have already tried medication, physical therapy, chiropractic care, injections or other approaches and are looking for another way to understand and address their pain.
Gao's approach begins with an important question: Why is this particular person experiencing sciatic pain?
Gao Looks Beyond the Location of the Pain
Sciatic pain is commonly associated with irritation or compression involving the sciatic nerve or the nerve roots that contribute to it. But patients can present with similar pain patterns for different reasons, which is why Gao does not assume that every case of sciatica should be treated the same way.
Over more than five decades of clinical practice, Gao has repeatedly observed an important pattern in many of the patients who come to him with sciatic pain: pelvic position, muscular tension and surrounding soft-tissue patterns may be contributing to the way the patient's pain presents.
For that reason, his evaluation does not necessarily stop at the lower back or at the place where the patient feels pain.
He may examine and palpate the lower back, pelvis, hips, buttocks and surrounding tissues, looking for physical patterns that can help guide an individualized acupuncture treatment.
Years of hands-on clinical experience have given Gao an exceptional ability to recognize subtle tissue changes through examination and palpation—patterns that help guide treatment.
Why the Pelvis Matters in Gao's Approach
The pelvis forms the structural connection between the spine and lower extremities. Changes in muscular tension, movement and pelvic mechanics can influence how forces are distributed through the lower back, hips and surrounding tissues.
In Gao's clinical experience, pelvic and surrounding soft-tissue patterns are frequently important findings in patients who present with persistent or recurring sciatic pain.
This is a significant part of what he evaluates when a patient comes to him with sciatica.
It does not mean that every case of sciatica originates in the pelvis. Sciatic symptoms can have different causes, and symptoms requiring medical investigation should be evaluated by an appropriate healthcare professional.
What it does mean is that Gao looks beyond the symptom itself before deciding how he will approach treatment.
When Previous Treatment Hasn't Been Enough
People often seek acupuncture because they are still experiencing pain despite previous treatment or because they would like to explore conservative options before considering more invasive interventions.
Gao does not promise that acupuncture will eliminate the need for injections, medication or surgery, and there are circumstances in which conventional medical treatment or surgical evaluation may be necessary.
But persistent pain does not automatically mean that every reasonable conservative approach has been exhausted.
For patients who feel they have tried everything, a different way of evaluating the pattern may provide a useful next step.
An Individualized Approach to Sciatica
Treatment is based upon what Gao finds during the individual evaluation rather than a predetermined set of acupuncture points for everyone diagnosed with sciatica. Depending upon the patient's presentation, treatment may involve acupuncture and other Traditional Chinese Medicine techniques directed toward patterns identified during the examination.
The objective is not simply to place needles where it hurts. The objective is to understand the individual pain pattern well enough to determine an appropriate treatment approach.
More Than Five Decades of Clinical Pattern Recognition
Gao has spent more than fifty years developing the hands-on observation and pattern-recognition skills he brings to difficult pain presentations.
Sciatica has become a particular area of clinical focus in his practice. Patients frequently seek him out when sciatic pain has become persistent, recurring or difficult to resolve—and when they want another experienced practitioner to take a careful look at the problem.
If your sciatica hasn't improved as expected, the next step may not be another assumption about what is causing it. It may be a more individualized evaluation.
Acupuncture outcomes vary by individual. Acupuncture evaluation and treatment are not substitutes for emergency care or medical evaluation when medically indicated.
