How does acupuncture work physiologically for pain relief

Condition analysis:
The most common treatments for sciatic pain involve surgery to repair the underlying structural issues in the lower back, epidural steroid injections, pain killers, and hot/cold therapy. Regular acupuncture treatments offer a safe and gentle alternative for pain management.  A large proportion of our patients with sciatica have responded quite well to acupuncture, both for acute pain relief, and also for help with managing and resolving their condition over time. While acupuncture cannot heal the structural issues of the lower back that cause sciatica, it is a useful, side-effect free treatment for the management of the pain.

Typically we treat sciatic pain by placing acupuncture needles along the inside of the lower calf/ankle and along the wrist/forearm area.  We take a two-pronged approach. First, we target the lower back, to increase blood flow and muscle relaxation around the lumbar vertebrae.  Then, we target the sciatic nerve to influence muscle relaxation and blood flow regulation along the pathway of the pain in the leg.

Instructions:
How does acupuncture work physiologically for pain relief? By inserting small needles into specific sites on the body, the needles trigger a response from the nervous system. This response from the nervous system leads our brain to:

-- release a cascade of natural painkillers (endorphins and enkephalins),
-- increase blood flow to the painful area,
-- relax the muscles in the surrounding area.