Sometimes back pain is a mystery, but not to everybody.

Doctors of Traditional Chinese Medicine see back pain differently. Where Western doctors see a solid nerve, TCM doctors see the flow of energy (Qi). To the practitioner of Chinese medicine, pain means that flow is impaired. The obstruction may be visible or invisible.

Chiropractors can sometimes relieve back pain by adjusting the vertebra, temporarily freeing the flow of qi. But adjustment does not correct the root of aberrant qi.

Acupuncturists and Chinese herbologists often heal back pain when others fail, because Chinese medicine is about understanding what influences the qi. The qi is influenced by both mind and matter, and Qi will influence mind and matter as well. Body structures will ultimately conform to the qi.

STUCK QI - Channel Pain - Flow No Go
There are at least ten separate flows of energy traversing the back. Much back pain is a sign of obstruction or constraint of qi in the channels. Old or new injuries, emotional constraint, anatomical obstructions, and other events can constrain the qi of the channels.

EXCESS QI - Upper Back Pain - Congested Heat
Upper back pain is commonly caused by interior heat which rises in the channels (heat rises) and lodges in the neck, shoulders, and head causing tension in the muscles.

WEAK QI - Lower Back Pain - Low Batteries
Energy is stored in the low back, keeping the back strong, and holding the spine erect. Depletion of this energy (kidney qi) will weaken the lower back enabling injuries to occur. Stress, injury, illness, overwork, excessive sex, drugs, and over stimulation of the brain, drain the kidney qi and weaken the lower back.

Acupuncture may be Chinese medicine's best modality for treating pain. Perhaps 70% of my acupuncture patients are being treated for various kinds of pain. By far, low back pain is the most common. This is probably because, short of giving pain killers, Western medicine can do little for back pain sufferers. Acupuncture, on the other hand, can often do much more.

Patients suffering from back pain can expect points to be used in the general area of the pain, but not always. Sometimes the acupuncturist will ask where it hurts, and (if the anatomy permits) insert a needle at that point. These points are known as ashi points, meaning "that's the spot" points. Acupuncture points may also be selected at different spots along relevant channels that supply the effected areas. For example, the point UB 40, located behind the knee will often be chosen to treat low back pain, because the UB channel passes through the lower back. Similarly, the point SI 3, at the outer edge of the 5th finger, can be used to treat problems with the upper back and neck. More on acupuncture for back pain.

GE GEN WAN:

•For Lower Body Circulation.