Back pain according to Chinese Medicine

Back ache redirects here

The information provided here is not a replacement for a doctor. You shouldn't use it for the purpose of self-diagnosing or self-medicating but rather so you can have a more informed discussion with a professional TCM practitioner.

What is back pain?

Back pain may have plenty of causes: a pulled muscle, trauma, osteoarthritis, disk diseases or stenosis in the spine as well as plenty others. Depending on localization, pain can radiate into the neck, arm and hands or in the low back, affecting to the leg or foot. Symptoms include weakness, numbness and tingling.

What causes back pain according to TCM?

There are 29 patterns of disharmony in our database that are associated with back pain. TCM sees our body (and mind) as a holistic system in which health issues stem from imbalances, known as "patterns of disharmony". These patterns can manifest in a wide range of symptoms and illnesses, such as back pain here.

Most of the patterns associated with back pain are "Empty" (also called "Deficient") in nature. This means that according to TCM, back pain is more likely to be a chronic condition that is due to a deficiency of certain “Vital Substances” (such as Blood or Qi), or Yin or Yang generally.

This is the case when back pain is due to "Yin Deficiency", "Yang Deficiency" and "Qi Deficiency", for instance.

For more details on the underlying causes and patterns behind back pain, refer to this comprehensive page on the subject.

Herbal formulas used in TCM for back pain

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Individual herbs used in TCM for back pain

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Acupuncture and acupressure points for back pain

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TCM dietary and lifestyle recommendations that might help with back pain

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