Classical Acupuncture for Back Pain & Sciatica
HILLCREST | SAN DIEGO
An investigative approach for people dealing with chronic pain who have tried the normal options, but still don’t feel normal.
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CA Licensed • Est. 2017 • Classical Lineage • Private 1-on-1 • 5.0★ (30+ Reviews)
Chronic Pain Has Become Your Close Companion
Pain has become your close companion. You've adjusted your life around it. Tried the specialists, PT, injections, medications, and maybe even acupuncture.
Maybe pain improves for a while, then returns. Or worse, it never leaves. It just quiets down enough to become your new normal.
You’ve stopped doing things you love. Perhaps you skip the gym. You can’t play with your kids without bracing. Many people don’t sleep through the night or wake up without stiffness. What’s important to realize is that your pain isn't the problem. It's a signal. Healing comes from changing the pattern driving the signal, not just muting it.
"Diego is fantastic and he did a stellar job addressing my pain. He helped me find the root of my pain. I can now work out with heavier weights and enjoy life without the tweaks and pains."
— Christina G.
"I'm 90 years old and needed a hip replacement. The pain was so bad my next move was a wheelchair! After working with Diego things were better. I can't say enough or rate high enough!"
— Robert C.
Understand Why You're Still Hurting
You've tried all the normal options and still don’t feel normal. Unfortunately, this is common. Modern approaches aren't wrong, they're just suppressing the symptom without asking why your body created that signal in the first place.
Your body is wise. Nothing it does is by accident. The pain from your back seizing up, is protecting something vulnerable. The loss of range of motion serves a purpose.
Western medicine sees a red flag and aims to eliminate the signal. Tight muscle? Stretch it. Inflamed tissue? Medicate it.
Classical Chinese Medicine (CCM) asks different questions: What is the body gaining by doing this? What needs protecting? What resources are depleted? CCM wants to facilitate what the body is trying to achieve.
When I address those root factors through treatment, the symptoms and signal noise that disrupts your life improves naturally.
Learn More: The Classical Medicine View of Pain
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When you were a child, injuries healed quickly because your body had abundant resources.
Aging is a process of resource depletion. Classical Chinese Medicine is interested in these resources:
Blood: The primary medium for nourishment, vitality, and memory. It nourishes organs, sinews, eyes, brain; supports mental activity and emotional expression.
Thin Fluids: Mobile fluids that moisten the skin, muscles, and sensory orifices; part of Wei Qi defense (immunity). They lubricate surfaces, aid sweating, and support sensory perception.
Thick Fluids (Hormones) : Dense, nourishing fluids that lubricate joints, bone marrow, deep tissues, and support structural integrity; associated with Jing.
Jing (Essence): Constitutional essence inherited from parents; basis of growth, reproduction, and lifespan. They govern development, bone strength; stored in Kidneys.
Qi: Expresses potential for change. Vital energy that activates and animates all physiological processes; has multiple forms depending on its specific function.
Yang: The spark of life. Warm, active, transformative aspect of Qi; provides movement, warmth, and functional direction. Drives metabolism, warms the body, and directs Qi movement.
These are physiological resources that can be assessed through pulse diagnosis and addressed through Classical acupuncture treatment.
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In Classical Chinese Medicine, this indicates Wind, often accompanying a history of fluid deficiency, dehydration, Blood deficiency, Jing depletion, and likely poor sleep.
The pain moves because the underlying deficiency is systemic, so the pain shifts in relation to where your body has available resources to contribute towards healing.
In the simplest terms, Wind signals instability.
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Pain fixed in one location: Often an accumulation of Dampness or Blood stagnation. This pain Stays in the same spot, is worse with cold or damp weather, and better with heat or dry weather.
Stabbing pain: Often indicates that Cold has penetrated the channels. Could also mean Blood stagnation. Sharp pain is often worse in cold weather, night, or first thing in the morning.
Pain that radiates or moves: Often Heat or Wind patterns, frequently accompanying fluid deficiency. Often travels along channel pathways towards the extremities.
Intermittent pain (comes and goes): Could indicate Wind or Divergent Channel patterns (latent pathology, unresolved infection, pathogenic Cold held in your joints). When your reserves are strong, pain is quiet. When depleted (stress, poor sleep, illness), the pathogen emerges and inflammation returns.
Pain that won't heal after injury: Qi deficiency or Blood deficiency preventing normal tissue repair. The injury site never fully resolves because the body lacks resources to complete healing.
Each pattern requires a different treatment approach. This is why generic protocols often disappoint.
How I Work Differently
1. Identify the Channel System: I use pulse, palpation, and movement to find where the pattern lives, not just where it hurts. Nine people could present with low back pain. Their causative factors would all be unique.
2. One Patient at a Time: You get my undivided attention in a private room. No bouncing between rooms. I stay with you the entire session.
3. Treat Deep Patterns: My training targets the complement channel systems (Sinew, Luo, Divergent, and Extraordinary) many clinics use lightly. Choice is based on your presentation, not a template.
Sinew Channels for acute muscle injury
Divergent Channels for chronic joint issues
Luo Channels for pain with emotional components
Eight Extraordinary Channels for constitutional patterns that date back to childhood
Standard Traditional Chinese Medicine (“TCM” or what most acupuncturists practice) mainly treats the Primary Channels. Chronic, stubborn pain often lives in complement channel systems.
4. Rebuild Recovery Capacity: If your body lacks the resources to heal, relief is temporary. We address this alongside your main concern.
Ready to address the root of your pain?
What I See Often:
A patient comes in with low back pain that worsens when sitting. Their low back feels tight but they suspect the “real” problem is in their hip flexor. The psoas has been chronically contracted for months, compressing the nerve. PT stretched it, which gave temporary relief, but it kept coming back and no one ever asked why the psoas wouldn't release.
During my assessment, I find their pulse shows tightness in the Stomach channel. Upon further inquiry I learned that this particular patient likes to drink ice-cold water and often eats cold foods right out of the fridge. In this case Cold is threatening the Stomach organ and the body is displacing the pathogen onto the sinew channel to protect the body.
What I do first: I release the Stomach sinew channel and expel the Cold with moxa. I then release the Bladder sinew channel and instruct the patient to take a warm Epsom salt bath and send them home with diet modifications.
What changes: At the end of the session they can sit comfortably without pain, they can rise from sitting and walk without pain as well. They notice some minor tightness but their mobility and comfort are greatly improved. They leave feeling better than when they came in and most importantly, they learned what specific behaviors had kept them stuck in the pain cycle this whole time.
What Changes Look Like
Although acupuncture can seem like magic, it is actually real physiology. Here's the typical progression my chronic pain patients experience:
Initially: Pain diminishes and range of motion increases. Tightness may linger. You start experiencing hours or days without pain, but it might return prior to your next visit. Sleep and mood can improve. Flare-ups may shorten.
Long Term: Through consistent treatment, daily triggers lose their power as baseline stability improves. Guarded movements cease, tightness diminishes, and confidence grows. This shift in the underlying pattern leads to fewer relapses, allowing many patients to safely return to activities they had given up without fear of re-injury.
"The discomfort due to my arthritis has substantially subsided through Diego's strong intentions. Treating the root cause offers a much healthier outcome."
— Debra L.
Is This Approach Right for You?
This is a good fit if:
✓ Your pain has lasted longer than 3 months or keeps recurring
✓ You've tried conventional approaches without lasting results
✓ Your imaging is "normal" but your life isn't
✓ Stress, sleep issues, or digestive problems accompany your pain
✓ You're willing to commit to a short treatment trial (3-4 sessions minimum)
✓ You value quality of care over insurance convenience
This may not be the right fit if:
✗ You want a one-visit quick solution
✗ You're currently in an emergency or rapidly worsening situation (seek urgent care first)
✗ You're not willing to try at least 3-4 sessions to assess response
✗ You're looking for the cheapest option available
I work with people who are ready to address root causes, not just manage symptoms indefinitely.
What I won't promise: I don't guarantee outcomes. If you're not seeing meaningful progress by visit 4-5, I'll tell you directly, and we'll adjust or I'll help refer you out. Results vary based on how long you've had the pain and your body's current capacity. I'll give you a realistic timeline once I have a feel of how well your body is responding to treatment.
Common Conditions Treated
If you don't see your specific condition listed, reach out. I treat the pattern, not the diagnostic label.
Musculoskeletal
-Back pain (lower, mid, upper)
-Neck pain and stiffness
-Shoulder pain (frozen shoulder, rotator cuff issues)
-Hip pain and bursitis
-Knee pain (arthritis, meniscus issues)
-Sciatica and nerve pain
-Sports injuries and overuse pattern
-Plantar fasciitis
-TMJ and jaw pain
Neurological & Systemic
-Headaches and migraines
-Fibromyalgia
-Pain that moves or migrates
-Post-surgical recovery
-Complex pain patterns that haven't responded to other treatments
What Happens on Your First Visit
Before your first treatment: Complimentary fit call
10-15 minutes with me. We'll clarify your goals and whether this approach is right for you. If it's a good fit, you'll leave with a recommended starting plan.
Initial Intake & Treatment: Your first session (80 minutes) includes:
✓ Comprehensive pain history and movement assessment
✓ Classical pulse and tongue diagnosis
✓ Channel assessment to identify which systems are involved
✓ Discussion of lifestyle factors affecting your healing potential (sleep, hydration, diet, stress)
✓ Same-day treatment based on your specific pattern
✓ Clear explanation of what I'm seeing and the treatment approach
✓ Guidance on supporting your healing between sessions
One detail most patients don't expect: During channel palpation, I'll press specific points along the channels on your arms and legs to feel for heat, cold, or tenderness. This tells me which channels are constrained and guides point selection. It's not painful, but you'll feel the assessment happening. Many practitioners skip this step.
Follow-up Treatment: Ongoing sessions (55 minutes):
✓ Continued channel-based treatment
✓ Adjustments based on your body's response between sessions
✓ Ongoing lifestyle and movement guidance
✓ Resource rebuilding as needed
Your Investment in Health
I'm an out-of-network provider dedicated to premium, individualized care. This allows me to treat you based on what you need, not what an insurance adjuster dictates. I provide detailed superbills for insurance reimbursement.
Initial Intake & Treatment: $225 | 80 minutes. Comprehensive history, assessment & diagnosis, lifestyle evaluation, and your first full treatment.
Follow-Up Treatments: $180 | 55 minutes. Continued channel-based treatment, adjustments based on your response, ongoing guidance.
Payment: Cash, credit, HSA, FSA accepted
Insurance: We are an out-of-network provider. Detailed superbills provided for reimbursement.
Frequently Asked Questions
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A: Depends on how long you've had the pain and your body's current resources. Acute injuries often show significant change in 3-6 visits. Chronic patterns (months or years) typically require 6-12 sessions to address the root pattern. I'll give you a realistic assessment after your initial visit.
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A: Classical acupuncture is generally very gentle. You may feel a sensation when I access a channel (dull ache, warmth, heaviness), but it's rarely painful. Many patients fall asleep during treatment.
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A: I'm out-of-network, which allows me to provide the level of care you need without insurance restrictions. Payment is due at time of service. I provide detailed superbills that you can submit to your insurance for reimbursement. Many plans cover out-of-network acupuncture. HSA/FSA funds can be used.
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A: Yes. I work alongside your other providers. Continue medications, PT, or other treatments unless your doctor advises otherwise. Many patients find they need less medication or fewer interventions as patterns improve.
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A: This is common. Most acupuncture practiced in the U.S. (TCM) uses simplified protocols that treat only the Primary Channels. Classical acupuncture accesses all five channel systems and uses pulse-based diagnosis to identify your specific pattern. This allows me to address issues that standard approaches often miss.
Don’t Spend Another Month Managing Symptoms. Reclaim your life today.
Another month of "coping" is another month of missing out. Let’s address the root cause, so you can get back to the life you knew before the pain.
Schedule a complimentary fit call:
✓ 10-15 minutes with Diego
✓ Clarify your goals and whether this approach is right for you
✓ If it's a fit, you'll leave with a recommended starting plan
Gateway Acupuncture & Wellness
Diego García, L.Ac.
3636 5th Ave, Suite 101
San Diego, CA 92103
Hours: Mon-Fri 9-6 PM & Sun 11-3 PM
Call on Mobile: (619) 289-9336
Email: Diego@gatewayacu.com
Serving: Mission Hills, Mission Valley, Hillcrest, North & South Park, Golden Hill, Normal Heights, Kensington, University Heights, Bankers Hill, Downtown San Diego, La Jolla, Del Mar, and nearby communities.
Written by: Diego Garcia, L.Ac.