Medication that wore off. Physical therapy that helped for a week. A scan, and a specialist who said this is just something you live with. It isn’t.
New patients: your first visit is $40 instead of $240.
You brace before standing up, every time.
Sitting through a meal or a drive is something you now plan around.
The pain moves. Lower back some days, into the hip or down the leg on others.
You have had the scan, heard the words degenerative or bulging, and been sent home with them.
And you have cancelled something you wanted to do and told people it was for a different reason.
Most low back pain gets treated as one problem with one cause. A disc. A muscle. A joint.
But in the cases that drag on for years, the pain is usually held in place by several things at once: the original injury, the way your body started moving to protect it, inflammation that never fully settled, and nerves that have learned to fire too easily.
Treat one of those and you get a few good weeks. That is the pattern almost every patient describes when they arrive, and it is why the relief kept running out.
Scientifically proven to reduce chronic pain and heal nerve irritation
Gentle microcurrents support cellular function, nerve healing, and tissue repair, drug-free and painless
Mild and painless electric currents are passed through the needles to intensify pain relief
A hypereffective method that uses supercharged oxygen to heal the soft tissue and nerves
Your Consultation is when Dr. Smithmyer determines the best course of treatment for you. That may be one therapy or a combination.
Treatment in our clinic is quick and painless. Sessions typically last about 30 minutes, and most patients are in and out without disrupting the rest of their day.
How much treatment you need depends on how long you have had the pain and what is driving it. That is determined after a detailed evaluation during your consultation.
Treatments are usually scheduled 2 to 4 times per week at the start, then taper as you improve. Once you reach the results we have been working toward, a maintenance plan, often 1 to 2 sessions per month, helps hold the ground you have gained.
Patients commonly tell us they are sleeping through the night again, sitting through a whole meal, or back to parts of their week they had quietly given up. What your own course looks like is something we will be straight with you about at the consultation.
“My back pain had reached a point where I couldn’t enjoy bike rides or even keep up with the yard work. After only three treatments, I started feeling like myself again, and after six, I am officially back to my exercise routine and household chores.”
Glenn S.
“I have bulging discs from my L2 to my tailbone and moderate arthritis in my right hip. I was in so much pain when I first started going. I have seen great improvements in my hip pain and my back pain is also improving. I still have flare ups but my good days now outnumber my bad days.”
Rose J.
“I fractured 4 vertebrae this summer and it has left me with substantial back pain. The results I have so far have encouraged me to continue treatments.”
Sally L.
“I’ve seen more than ten doctors for acupuncture throughout my life, and Dr. Jinell is by far the best. I’ve been receiving acupuncture here for severe lower back pain, and I’ve experienced significant improvement.”
Yoon S.
“After only one month of treatment I am having great results. My back pain has greatly decreased, and she zeroes in on where you are holding tension.”
Brenda K.
“I came to Chesapeake AIM for back pain. The results have been amazing. The staff is amazing everyone is so friendly and takes a genuine interest in your treatment journey.”
Laurie B.
Individual results vary.
For patients searching for “low back pain treatment near me,” Dr. Smithmyer and her team specialize in chronic and complex pain that has not responded to standard care. With 7 years of clinical experience in the treatment of low back pain, Chesapeake AIM was voted Best Acupuncture Clinic in Central Maryland in 2023, 2024, and 2025.
It starts with a phone call.
Call us at 410-694-7217, or schedule a time below. Our Patient Care Coordinator will listen to what you are dealing with and help you book a Consultation with Dr. Smithmyer. The call is free and takes about ten minutes.
Attend your in-person Consultation with Dr. Smithmyer. Through our New Patient Offer your Consultation is $40, a saving of $200 off the usual $240.
Most short term, or acute, low back pain eases within a few weeks. When pain lasts longer than 12 weeks it is considered chronic, and chronic pain often needs a different approach than rest and medication. If your pain keeps coming back or has never fully gone away, that is worth a closer look.
For many people, gentle movement and walking help more than long periods of bed rest. The right amount depends on your specific condition, which is why we build an individualized plan rather than giving general advice.
Yes. Many people with chronic low back pain improve with non-surgical, drug-free care. Our treatment combines acupuncture, electroacupuncture, ATP Resonance BioTherapy™, and O3 Reboot Therapy™, for the fastest, best results we can offer.
Research supports it. A 2025 NIH-funded randomized clinical trial found that acupuncture led to greater improvement in back pain-related disability than usual medical care alone in older adults.
Persistent low back pain can come from disc irritation, nerve compression, old injuries, arthritis, or muscle and joint patterns that never fully settled. When pain lingers, it often means the cause has not been fully addressed. That is what we work to treat.
Yes. Low back pain and sciatica often occur together because irritation in the lower back can cause pain that travels down the leg. We treat both conditions. Learn more on our sciatica treatment page.
No. Being told to live with your pain does not mean you are out of options. We specialize in complex cases when standard care falls short.
Your first visit is an in-depth consultation where we review your condition, health history, and previous treatment so we can determine whether you are a good candidate for care. If we believe we can help, we will recommend an individualized treatment plan.
© 2026 Chesapeake Acupuncture & Integrative Medicine
The information contained on this website is not intended to diagnose, treat, or intervene in any medical condition. The circumstances of each patient are different. Treatment is offered only after an appropriate medical consultation and assessment. Outcomes are never guaranteed. Individual results may vary.
