What is the most prevalent reason for people to seek medical care from a professional? It isn't the common cold, which everybody just ends up buying over the counter medication for. No, that condition that forces even the most reluctant to seek medical care is actually lower back pain. That's right, millions of working days ? and, thus, millions of dollars in potential revenues ? go down the drain with each day that is lost every year by the average person. All of that due to the power of pain.

One major cause of lower back pain would be sprains, or the overstretching of one or more of the ligaments lingering about in the spinal area. Strains, which are damage done to the muscle ? such as a rip or tear ? by sudden force, has also been known to cause back pain. Injuries, improper lifting positions, and poor posture are all possible causes for something like that to happen. Of course, these aren't the only reasons that the back might suffer from chronic pain. Herniated discs budding out of their proper places between two of the vertebra can also cause back pain. If the structural strength of the bones in the spine are compromised, the result can also generate chronic pain in various affected areas of the spine.

One way to help alleviate the problems caused by lower back pain would be acupuncture, one of the many branches of the expansive Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) system. The manner that a true, trained TCM practitioner would see back pain varies greatly from how Western medicine would define it. One view is that it might be caused by some sort of deficiency in the elements and nutrients needed by the body. Another is the stagnation of the blood and Qi. Qi, according to TCM, is the energy of life that is in constant flow within all living beings, and around all living beings. Any disruption to the flow of the blood or Qi, or if something causes them to stagnate, then it can cause problems ranging from colds to lower back pain. Finally, there is also something called Cold Damp Obstruction with might cause the pain, which is characterized by sensitivity of the pain to weather conditions.

Pain caused by deficiencies are usually dull, but chronic. According to TCM principles, it can be common in the middle aged and elderly, and that it generally improves with rest after treatment. Stagnation causing lower back pain, however, is much more difficult. Rest can be detrimental, as it is believed to worsen the stagnation. The stabbing nature of the pain often accompanies sprains and strains, and has been known to reoccur over one's lifetime. Finally, obstruction pain is often worse during mornings, and can be made worse by cold and damp weather. Heat can improve it, but not always. Numbness, swelling and heaviness often accompany this sort of pain.

Acupuncture, according to TCM practitioners, can be used to successfully aid anyone with any of these types of chronic pain. However, that is only true if the treatment applied is genuine and the person doing it is trained in the correct methods. Otherwise, the negative effects can either range from not doing anything to causing more damage.