Dr. Jie Shen

Lic. Acupuncturist in NY, NJ & PA, M.D. in China

15-year Experience in Acupuncture Services

Serve Bergen County NJ and Orange and Rockland County NY

Acupuncture Treatment for Sciatica

Sciatica is a symptom, not a diagnosis. Normally there is pain in the buttock, which then radiates down the leg. The pain either goes down the back of the leg, or down the side. In Traditional Chinese medicine this relates to the Bladder and Gall Bladder channels. This is not to say that there is a problem with your Bladder or Gall Bladder! Within Traditional Chinese Acupuncture it is possible (and very common) to have a problem in the acupuncture channel but not to have any problem with the related organ.

To treat this condition, acupuncture points are palpated in and around the troublesome areas and various points are needled. Good results are often achieved.

Frequently, sciatica-type pain is caused by muscle spasm impinging on the sciatica nerve. Acupuncture is very effective at reducing muscle spasm and the results can be instantaneous. The diagram below has a muscle marked in red. This is called the 'piriformis' and is often involved with sciatica-type pain.

When this muscle is in spasm, it will shorten and so increase in diameter. The sciatica nerve runs behind the piriformis muscle and in front of the pelvic bone, thus there is very little room for the nerve! When the muscle goes into spasm it presses on the nerve and refers pain into the buttock and down the leg. Interestingly, this muscle lies on the Gall Bladder channel!

This illustrates how Traditional Chinese Acupuncture can overlap with Western medicine. In Traditional Chinese Acupuncture we would say that there was a problem with the Gall Bladder channel, in Western medicine they would say that there is a problem with the piriformis muscle, and both are correct.

Dr. Shen began to treat sciatica patients since 1995 when she worked in the First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine in China. Combining her experience in the Acupuncture Center of Horizon Family Medical Group and J&S Chinese Acupuncture Clinic Center, she has helped hundreds patients get rid of the suffering from sciatica. With her solid experience in treating various syndromes of sciatica, she can provide you the best treatment for your sciatica. In J&S Chinese Acupuncture Clinic Center, combining acupuncture treatment with cupping treatment and Chinese herbal medicine, Dr. Shen can offer you a comprehensive service for your sciatica. Besides that, Dr. Shen may also utilize heat lamps, Chinese massage and electro-acupuncture to achieve the best results. Most patients can get relief right after the first treatment. Usually after 10~20 visits, the problem could totally disappear. For some very difficult chronic pain cases, acupuncture also can mitigate the pain and improve the patients' life quality a lot.