When lower back pain spreads into the buttock or leg, many people assume they have sciatica caused by a slipped or herniated disc. But similar symptoms can come from a lumbar nerve root, the sciatic nerve itself, other peripheral nerves, or muscles around the hip and buttock. The source of the pain matters because it changes the treatment.

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Lower back pain is one of the most common conditions seen in acupuncture clinics. In this Clinical Reflection, Teresa Shen explains how Traditional Chinese Medicine understands lower back pain through meridian theory, Zang-Fu pattern differentiation, and her clinical approach of treating both the back and the front of the body to support long-term recovery.

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