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リカちゃんと・・・
  リョコちゃんストレッチ
  リョコちゃんウォーク
 Case 1: Disc Hernia
Contracted muscles press the spine and push the disc
Symptoms appeared as sciatica
In 2001, a carpenter, Mr. Y (aged 31, male) came to my office because of the serious pain and numbness from the left hip to foot. It was the symptoms of sciatica.
He was one of my friends ever since a basketball circle. He used to repeat lumbago.
He played basketball for many years. The sudden trouble attacked him two months after he had left off.
It often happens. Certainly, to move too hard sometimes causes the muscle troubles.
But, muscle is made to move. Moving calls the circulation of the blood which cleans up the fatigue substance.
symptoms / source
I was sure I could cure him easily. After the treatment, almost all the pain faded away.
But he called me the next day. He told me the entire symptoms had come back early in the morning. He came again. I tried every treatment next to next.
However he seemed to be released once, the same symptoms came back three hours later.
The evidence follows that his trouble should be the organic disease.
Hernia vanished 4 weeks later by natural recovery
Mr. Y consulted a doctor. The MRI founds his fourth lumbar disc slipped out. The diagnosis was intervertebral disc hernia.
Mr. Y had not any pain in the lumbar part but only in the hip to foot. Therefore he never expected the spine was the cause of his symptoms.
The doctor said he probably would cure without an operation. So he chose to rest at home. At the beginning his pain was too severe to endure. As time went on, the pain became less and less. Then he began to realize something that was wrong with his lumbar part.
Four weeks later, his pain and numbness faded away completely, as the hernia had already vanished.
I know some clients who have received the operation for disc hernia. Some of them have numbness for long years. Several clients remain paralysis of the muscles of the shin, who have difficulty in lifting up the toes. See a followed example.

source paralyzed nerve paralyzed muscles of the shin
Sciatic nerve
Deep peroneal nerve Tibialis anterior figure:a2-1
Extensor hallucis longus
Extensor digitorum longus

From my experience, EAT (electro-Acupuncture-Therapy) brings to them about 70% recovery, on the condition that it needs a remarkable self-training.
(I'm sorry the description of these cases are written only in my Japanese site. If you are interested, go to case #56...)
The spine is a party
The spine is not a "column", but a party.
A total of 24 vertebras and the sacrospinalis are connected by ligament and muscles to take the form of a column.
An example, Erector spinae, is a main muscle.
(Shown in the right figure )

There are a lot of muscles to support the column.
Like water in a vessel, the spine is formed from a pattern of muscles.

Each muscle has its own length, positions severally, and contracts its own way.
A variety of muscles make it possible for the column to move variously.

There are some skeletal differentia between men and women. The nervous troubles caused of the neck (cervical spine) occur equally. But about the lumbar hernia, all the patients whom I have treated are men.
Let me add a few more words for caution's sake. From my experience, man's aging starts with his lumbar spine, and woman's aging starts with her pelvis.
Reason for the pressure is not G
Mr. Y's affected part is 4th lumbar disc () shown in the upper figure. "Hernia" means "something is pushed out from a narrow gap".
The upper and the lower vertebras forcefully press the disc to push out, which invade the sciatic nerve. Now, what force presses the disc?
I have learned in my Acupuncture school; the human stands on two legs. His head is too heavy to support against the gravity. Then the spinal troubles began.
I think the reason for the pressure is not the gravity but the force of contracted muscles.
The muscle works by contraction. Working hard without rest, fatigue substances, such as lactic acid, accumulate in the muscle. So the muscle becomes stiff and shortens. The shortened muscle pulls and pulls, at last it undermines a person's constitution.
The case of Mr. Y, who had always the stiffness in the back, came to my office only when he couldn't move. While he ignored a small pain, his muscles became shorter and shorter and forcefully pulled the vertebras, at last his disc was pushed out. Then his nerve suffered a continual damage day and night.
Eventually it needs so long time to cure such a structural damage. If he had received Acupuncture before the hernia, he would cure by a couple of treatments. So it is one of the regretful cases of my career.
Hernia and Acupuncture treatment
When you have the symptoms similar to Mr. Y, you may choose Acupuncture as a first step. The pressure is dangerous to a destroyed body. Different from Physiotherapy, I'm sure Acupuncture would not apply any physical pressure.
Mr. Y had no idea the cause existed in the spine, but I knew it. I treated both the cause and symptoms. Anyhow, I always treat the whole body in all cases.
Qi is a vital energy. To maintain the balance of energy, cure roughly almost all the tiny troubles. The arms and the legs, where exist many powerful acupoints, work as exhaust pipes. As clean up the extremities, the stagnancy of the trunk is made to get away.
After a general treatment, I take away the remained stiffness one by one by acu-needles. Sometimes I add Moxibustion as a finishing touches.
These treatments make the body soften and warm. Old stagnant blood seems to emit a sign of pain. As calling a fresh blood, such pain emitters run away.
Besides, Acupuncture has a "painkiller effect". As being shot by acu-needles, the body secrets an endorphin, a morphine-like hormones, called a "runners high".
Although the pain continues until the obstruction (= hernia) vanishes, the momentary relief is useful, I think. Fresh blood makes you hasten to cure. So Acupuncture helps your spontaneous recovery.
To check signs from the body leads you to better life
After the hernia vanished, muscles around the column remain as they had been. If you leave it, you may repeat the same trouble.
Most people, at first, come to my office because of the difficulty of moving. I cure the muscular trouble by a couple of treatments. Then they know it is easier if they come earlier.
They begin to find the sign from the body, such as, "my back says something", "my back is foggy", "I have a strange sensation in the leg", and so on.
I recommend my clients to receive a routine maintenance. So you will be able to cure before sickness. The true charm of Acupuncture exists in the unit of years. Actually, my clients who continue the maintenance become more healthy and younger little by little.
As I have written in my "Ryokochan Walk" for correct walking, I have some cases where Acupuncture won't achieve the "complete recovery".
To move well is to cure well. Even if you have no chance to meet Acupuncture, everyday self-training greatly helps you.
Human body is made to move. Acupuncture, some stretch and some sports are the Trinity to realize the energetic life.
Incidentally, I propose to you to practice my "360° Ryokochan Stretch", too.
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Updated: 2020/6/4