Treatment of Back Pain
By Dr Mohammed Sarwar Khan.

Back pain is commonly considered a nerve impingement syndrome.  Usually there is some kind of structural problem in the spine that prevents the nerves from exiting the spinal cord through the spinal vertebrae and out into the body.  When there is something pinching one of these nerves as it exits the spine it causes pain. The common term for this problem is called "Pinched nerve.”

Removing the obstruction to the nerve normally removes the nerve pain.  With conventional Allopathic medicine this does not always work.  It may require expensive and dangerous surgery. Chinese medicine can help relieve “pinched nerve” syndrome and the pain associated with it through a number of ways.

(1) Qi stagnation:

Qi (pronounced as "Chee") is the energy that circulates throughout the body. It flows through a network of channels and meridians that pass all over the body.  Points near the location of the pain are treated as well as other strategic locations, which stimulate the movement of Qi in the desired area diminishing the pain.

If left untreated, Qi stagnation can lead to Blood stagnation.  A dull ache   radiates outwards from the central location of the stagnation, to become a very sharp fixed pain.  Qi stagnation of the lower back pain is often found in women who have painful periods. Again acupuncture can treat this.

Qi stagnation can also be caused by the invasion of cold or dampness into the meridians that travel up and down the spine. In Western culture we talk about catching a cold.  In Chinese medicine we can catch a cold and/or damp.  This damp and cold invade the meridians slowing the Qi flow and causing pain.  If cold or damp weather aggravates the condition, then it is likely that some cold or dampness is in the meridians of the back impeding the flow of Qi.  This is actually a typical form of arthritis.

(2) Blood Stagnation:

There are two main causes of blood stagnation. One maybe a local trauma such as lifting something too heavy or a sport's injury. Perhaps even an automobile accident. Any specific trauma to the back may cause blood stagnation.  The principle of this treatment is the same as the Qi stagnation. Once the blood is moving the pain is diminished.  Herbs can also be used to dispel the blood stasis.  Blood stasis is the local inflammation, bruising, and purple thick blood that is at the site of the trauma. 

Another cause of blood stagnation may be a long history of Qi stagnation. The Qi moves the blood.  If the Qi has been stagnated for long enough, then the local body fluids begin to stagnate which includes blood.  There may be a long history of frustration, resentment or some other bitter emotional pathology associated with this stagnation. If these bitter emotions are frequent enough, the stagnation becomes more tight or compact manifesting into lumps, tumors, sharp pains and other blood circulation problems. 

(2) Damp Heat:

Damp heat causes pain in the lower back down into the groin area.  It is not a nerve impingement syndrome but is associated with a kind of infection in the urinary tract or another area in the lower abdomen. It might be kidney stones or a bladder infection. For this acupuncture and herbal medicine is employed to dry the damp and clear the heat. 

(3) Kidney Pathology:

Kidney pathologies can be either kidney stones or a deficiency of Yin or Yang in the body. Yin deficiency includes lower backache that is a long- term problem with no history of trauma. The back pain may have just started one day and never went away. Other symptoms of Yin deficiency include hot flashes, night sweats, tinnitis, irritability, restlessness and a hot sensation of the hands and feet.  Acupuncture treatments for this would be to stimulate the kidney’s function and herbal medicines would be employed to treat the root cause of the pain.

A deficiency of Kidney Yang could also give rise to lower back pain. Symptoms may include early morning diarrhea, cold hands and feet, lack of energy, pale face, hearing loss, feeling cold all the time, frequent urination and low libido.

In either case, the most important organs are strengthened to take away the lower back pain. The Qi or Blood stagnation problems may take a little longer to treat. Back pain can be treated successfully with acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicines.

Backaches are a common pathology among people all over the world.  Due to the expansion of Chinese medicine at CHINESE HOSPITAL patients can benefit from the old medical wisdom of the Orient to treat the pain.  The fully trained Chinese medical specialist at CHINESE HOSPITAL will provide the best diagnosis and treatment available for back pain sufferers.