Here Is What You Need to Know About Reiki for Back Pain

 Chronic back pain is the sixth most costly health issue in the United States that impairs the quality of life of nearly 65 million Americans. Most treatment options for back pain including surgery, pain medications, or lifestyle changes can bring some relief, but they might carry potential risks or lead to side effects. Moreover, many of these options are temporary and don't eliminate the root cause of pain.

If you still can't find the right treatments to eliminate your back pain, you might want to consider trying the Japanese healing technique Reiki.

People who suffer from chronic back pain can get caught up in a pain cycle. When they are in pain, they are taking pain relievers or using hot and cold to reduce it, but those things might actually trigger the sympathetic 'fight or flight' nervous system. This keeps people in a continuous pain cycle. Reiki can help break this pain cycle.

A typical Reiki session begins at the head or feet and includes a light touch or even no touch, with the practitioner's hands a few inches above the body.

However, it's not just the human touch that makes Reiki work. The procedure can also be practiced when the patient and practitioner are in separate parts of the country or even the world by an "energetic link" between them. These sessions are often done over the phone. Doctors don't recommend Reiki instead of traditional medicine, but it can be helpful if used as an adjunct or a complement to the main treatment.

There isn't a lot of research on Reiki, however, there are studies that suggest it can help eliminate back pain. According to a study published in the Journal of Evidence-Based Integrative Medicine in 2018, Reiki lowers the severity of back pain and improves people's ability to perform activities of daily living as well as a course of physical therapy.

According to a small meta-analysis published in May 2018 in Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, patients who received Reiki treatment had a significant decrease in their pain score compared with the control group, which did not receive Reiki.

Reiki experts have some possible explanations of what Reiki might be doing in the body to reduce back pain. One theory is that Reiki might cause the vagus nerve to trigger the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for digestion, mood, heart rate, and even the perception of pain.

Another theory is that Reiki eliminates energy blocks and balances points of the energy system called chakras. This type of clearing can boost the body's ability to heal and offers a sense of well-being.

Reiki specialists are sure that all people have energy fields, and most of them recognize that to varying degrees. We are also sensitive to other people's energy fields. Have you ever noticed that when you walk into a room with a very angry person, you can almost feel it? The same thing happens when you walk into space with a very happy person and you can feel a difference even if you can't describe it.

There's nothing difficult you need to do before receiving Reiki. Wear comfortable and loose-fitting clothes to a Reiki session; you'll remain fully clothed throughout the process. In most cases, you will be fully reclined on a massage table. It's also important to have an open mind. Reiki might have better outcomes for those who are ready.

Be consistent about doing Reiki. Although there hasn't been enough research about Reiki and back pain to know the optimal way to use it, Reiki experts claim to receive long-term benefits it's important to regularly get Reiki.