An NCCAOM-certified and licensed acupuncturist and herbalist, I founded Fort Collins Acupuncture in November 1999. I am passionate about acupuncture and herbal care, and enjoy using my skills and training to help patients find relief from many different health concerns.
As one of the most respected practitioners in Northern Colorado, I bring a comforting and confident demeanor to the care of each individual that has been noted by his patients through the years. That's me, Scott Blunk, L.Ac. - the best former-cattleman, over-six-foot acupuncturist in Fort Collins. Especially for back related pain, I'm the guy you want to see. Need acupuncture for a spinal issue? I've got your back. Schedule your appointment today. Part of my suggested treament for back pain injuries includes rest. This, I know, is very hard for some people, especially in our uber-active community.
Acupuncture is very effective for back pain. It is recommended by the World Health Organization, the National Institutes of Health, the American Pain Society, and the American College of Physicians. Its use triggers the natural release of opioids, chemicals from your brain that lessen pain and promote sleep. But effective treatment does require that you allow the muscles to completely heal before returning to your usual activities. 90% of my back pain acupuncture patients get to the point of feeling much better and then blow it, re-injuring their backs. Don't blow it. Continue to rest until the process is complete. Sometimes an acute injury sort of resolves. You find you can work around it if you sit or stand just right, don't move too fast and skip the bottom cupboards in your kitchen. (Who really needs a bundt pan anyway?)
If this is you, stop reading and make yourself an appointment for acupuncture. Acupuncture for back pain is a powerful tool for acute conditions, but it is also very effective on older injuries. The World Health Organization has stated that "acupuncture is comparable with morphine in its effectiveness against chronic pain, but without the adverse effects of morphine, such as dependency." Really, it's that good. One word of caution. If things get worse before they get better, don't worry. And don't stop coming! Moving your body back through the injury may cause a bit of discomfort as it unravels the problems. Going back through the place of initial injury and then resolving it at its root is what will have you standing and sitting up straight again. You may even be able to finally reach the cake pan! At Fort Collins Acupuncture, I have been treating patients using acupuncture for 15 years. The number one ailment I see people for is pain management. And the top of that category, the most painful thing people want acupuncture for is back pain. And it's no wonder!
Your back muscles are involved in nearly every movement you make. Typing, walking, turning over in bed, driving (Lord help you if you drive a stick shift), bending, even laughing... when your back hurts all those regular activities can be a misery. Acupuncture really can help. Acupuncture has been scientifically proven effective for many conditions including headaches, migraines, neck and lumbar problems, arthritis, and sports injuries. This New York Times blog reviews a recent meta-analysis of radomized acupuncture studies. Thirty doctors analyzed the raw data from 29 high-quality acupuncture medical studies. The lead author, Dr. Andrew J. Vickers from Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, summarizes the conclusion, “We think there’s firm evidence supporting acupuncture for the treatment of chronic pain.” Acupuncture for back pain really does work. Contact us today at www.fortcollinsacupuncture.com. I grew up in Fort Collins but went to acupuncture school in San Diego at Pacific College of Oriental Medicine. In California, acupuncturists are primary health care providers, trained to serve as gatekeepers. We are the one point of contact for their patients as they navigate the health care system. While regulations in Colorado are very different, my training and knowledge of the whole body have not changed. I am very comfortable serving as a complement to your primary care. Because I can “talk doctor” and understand Western diagnoses, I am happy to coordinate with your physician to best meet your needs.
I believe that acupuncture is an integral part of a modern health care system. It is an excellent therapy for pain management of all types (back, neck, headaches, migraines, injury), for digestive disorders, for stroke rehabilitation, insomnia... the list is long. Why not contact me and see what I can do to help you? One patient, a medical doctor, said this: “I decided to try acupuncture for my chronic headaches. It worked like a charm. Scott was attentive, caring and knowledgeable. He ushered me back to a pain-free existence. I highly recommend him.” -- DV, M.D. Pain-free existence can be yours too. Schedule an appointment today. Perhaps the last thing you want to do when your back is flaring up is go have needles poked into it. When movement is a trial and sneezing makes you want to cry, it's an understandable impulse to lay down and never get up again.
Yet, acupuncture is an excellent treatment for pain. It works by stimulating blood flow to the problem spot. The stimulation brings energy into the knotted mess and helps it unclench. Many patients have been able to use less pain medication, or completely stop taking it after they came to me. If back pain troubles you, consider acupuncture. It really does work. See more conditions we treat at Fort Collins Acupuncture here. If you haven't ever tried acupuncture before, you may wonder if it really works. If you ask around you'll get mixed reactions from people. For some, it's the a panacea. It's the reason they can wean off of pain medications or it fixed a chronic health problem. For others? Meh. Not so much.
This milquetoast reaction from my early patients is the reason I delved into better pain management techniques for acupuncture. In my early years of practice, I found that the precepts taught in acupuncture grad school only work some of the time. So much of Chinese medicine is a “treat the ankle for a headache approach.” That use of ancillary points will work for some people sometimes. But in my experience so far, it's almost always better to treat the problem where it actually is. When I treat a patient with shoulder pain, I want to know exactly what tissue is hurting. Rotator cuff muscle? Ligament? I want to know what exactly is hurting you, then I treat that tissue directly. This physical medicine approach gets results. It is incredibly effective for back pain, neck pain, and migraines. Acupuncture for pain management really does work at Fort Collins Acupuncture. If you have pain, come see me. I can help. Find more information at my website: www.fortcollinsacupuncture.com Or schedule an appointment. |
Scott Blunk, LAc.
An NCCAOM-certified and licensed acupuncturist and herbalist, Scott is passionate about acupuncture and herbal care. Categories
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