A 57 year old psychotherapist presented with low back pain and right sciatica since 3 months which had affected her activities of daily living. Besides medicines like drugs to decrease nerve pain like gabapentin as well as analgesics, she had also tried physiotherapy and acupuncture with no relief.
Her MRI of the spine revealed degenerative changes in the lumbar spine with disc bulges in the lumbar vertebrae. As a result, there was narrowing of the spinal canal with pressure on the nerve root which was causing the pain in her right leg.
She was reluctant to undergo any spine surgery and she preferred conservative treatment. She underwent few sessions of dry needling of her back and right leg over a period of a couple of months and this therapy along with medications led to relief in her symptoms and she could resume her normal daily activities.
Listen in to her…