Is acupuncture effective for lumbar disc bulge?
May 08, 2025
Source: Cainiu Health
Dr. Zhang Xiuhong
Introduction
In general, lumbar disc bulge refers to lumbar disc herniation. Whether acupuncture is effective for lumbar disc herniation mainly depends on the severity of the condition. If it is a mild case of lumbar disc herniation, acupuncture is usually helpful; however, for severe cases, the effectiveness of acupuncture may be relatively limited. Patients should keep their waist warm and avoid getting chilled.
Generally speaking, lumbar disc bulge refers to lumbar disc herniation. Whether acupuncture is effective for lumbar disc herniation mainly depends on the severity of the condition. If it is a mild case of lumbar disc herniation, acupuncture usually works well; however, if it is a severe case, the effectiveness of acupuncture treatment may be relatively limited. A detailed explanation is as follows:
If it is a mild case of lumbar disc herniation, acupuncture treatment generally achieves better results. Mild lumbar disc herniation mainly presents as soreness and pain in the lower back, but has not yet caused apparent neurological dysfunction symptoms. At this stage, acupuncture can improve local blood circulation and relieve muscle tension, thereby alleviating lower back pain. During acupuncture treatment, the practitioner will select corresponding acupoints based on the patient's specific syndrome types, such as damp-heat pattern, cold-damp pattern, or blood stasis pattern, and perform acupuncture or moxibustion to achieve the purpose of unblocking meridians, activating collaterals, and relieving pain.
If it is a severe case of lumbar disc herniation, the effectiveness of acupuncture treatment may be relatively limited. When lumbar disc herniation is serious and symptoms such as intense lower back pain and radiating muscle pain have developed, or even symptoms such as radiating numbness and weakness in the lower limbs have occurred, acupuncture treatment may not significantly improve the condition. At this time, patients need to follow medical advice and undergo drug therapy or surgical treatment. Drug therapy mainly involves using medications such as aspirin capsules, acetaminophen tablets, or ibuprofen sustained-release capsules to alleviate symptoms; surgical treatment is suitable for patients who do not respond well to medication or whose condition is severe—for example, percutaneous endoscopic transforaminal discectomy.
During treatment, patients should keep their lower back warm and avoid getting chilled. At the same time, they should reduce actions such as bending over, sitting or standing for long periods to alleviate pressure on the lumbar intervertebral discs.
