Back pain treatment positions

The most important part is that the patient is relaxed and can relax further during the treatment, the position is irrelevant when compared to the relaxation issue. While it is true that for back pain lying down is probably the best, you can treat it from the front if necessary, on the side is quite easy and if people need to sit (which often the acute cases do the first time or two possibly) that is fine as well. For sitting all I do is use a standard chair and I pull it up near the table, I set a pillow on the table and then let them lean and put their arms and head on the table (like falling asleep at a desk in school...) - this gives plenty of access to the back and the patient can get quite relaxed. Cupping and massage are all possible in this position as well.

If you have to do, don&#39t forget about the plethora of regular and extra points for back pain that are all on the front of the body - while needling some locally is good and is my preferred way, it is not imperative. You can get very good results using points such as GB 34, GB 37/39, UB 62, perhaps with SI 3, Yaotongxue, etc. You can always needle front points and then do tuina or cupping which requires much less time laying down or in whatever position the person needs to be in...

I have found this to be true with a lot of patients as well (particularly where spondylolisthesis is present) and I have found that simply putting a pillow under the abdomen while a patient is lying face down provides sufficient relief. Hope that helps.