Pain complaints

Pain complaints are among the most common reasons why people visit an acupuncturist. Whether it concerns back pain, neck pain, a sports injury, headache or long-standing joint complaints: pain can have a major impact on work, sport, sleep and daily activities.

Pain often arises as a protective mechanism of the body. With an injury or inflammation, pain is an important signal that the body needs time to recover. Sometimes this recovery goes well and the complaints disappear by themselves. In other cases the pain persists or keeps returning. This can happen, for example, because tissues recover insufficiently, the load remains too great or several factors play a role at the same time.

Acupuncture is widely used around the world for both acute and chronic pain complaints. The treatment is always tailored to the nature of the complaint, how long it has been present and your personal situation. As a result, two people with the same diagnosis can nevertheless receive a different treatment.

Common pain complaints

Muscles, tendons and joints

Nerve pain

Head and face

Abdomen and pelvic area

For more information about a specific complaint you can click through to the relevant page.

Possible causes of pain

Pain can have various causes. Sometimes a complaint arises suddenly, for example after a sports injury or an awkward movement. In other cases complaints develop gradually through prolonged overload, a reduced capacity of muscles and joints, or insufficient recovery.

Common causes include:

With chronic pain, several factors often play a role at the same time. That is why the first consultation looks not only at the location of the pain, but also at your general health, lifestyle and medical history.

What can acupuncture do for pain?

Acupuncture is aimed at supporting the body's natural recovery process. During treatment we look not only at the location of the pain, but also at the factors that contribute to it or cause the complaints to persist.

Depending on the cause and duration of your complaints, acupuncture can contribute to:

The treatment is tailored to your personal situation and can be adjusted over the course of the treatment when your complaints change.

What can Chinese herbal medicine do for pain complaints?

Chinese herbs are regularly combined with acupuncture. Where acupuncture exerts its effect during the treatment, herbs can also support the body daily in between treatments. Both forms of treatment often have the same aim, but each achieves it in its own way, which is why they often form a valuable combination.

Depending on the cause of your complaints, Chinese herbs can contribute to:

As with acupuncture, the herbal formula is tailored to your personal situation and can be adjusted over the course of the treatment when your complaints change.

How does Chinese medicine view pain?

Western medicine usually describes pain in terms of a diagnosis, such as a herniated disc, osteoarthritis, a tennis elbow or bursitis. Such a diagnosis provides information about which structures are affected and helps in choosing a suitable treatment.

Just as in conventional healthcare, Chinese medicine tries to understand which factors contribute to the onset, persistence and recovery of a complaint. Some of these factors overlap with conventional medicine, such as an injury, overload or wear. In addition, Chinese medicine also looks at factors that play an important role within its own medical system. This includes the flow of Qi and Blood, the influence of external factors such as Cold, Heat or Damp, and the condition of the TCM organ systems. These factors are summarised in a TCM pattern, which forms the basis for the treatment.

With an acute injury, pain is a normal part of the recovery process. As the body recovers, pain and stiffness usually decrease. Sometimes this recovery goes less smoothly. The pain persists, keeps returning or spreads to other areas. Chinese medicine then looks at which underlying factors may be hindering recovery.

According to Chinese medicine, a good flow of Qi and Blood is important for nourishing muscles, tendons, joints and other tissue. When this flow decreases, pain, stiffness or restricted movement can arise. A prolonged disturbance of the balance within the body can also cause tissues to recover less well or become more susceptible to renewed overload.

With pain complaints, the meridian in which the pain is located often plays an important role as well. A meridian is a network that connects different parts of the body with one another. That is why a treatment looks not only at the place where the pain is, but also at the course of the meridian involved and at any underlying TCM patterns.

The most common TCM patterns for pain are described below. These give a general picture of how Chinese medicine can view pain complaints. Please bear in mind that:

The most common TCM patterns for pain

Acute or active phase: Qi and Blood stasis (trauma)

After an injury there is almost always a local disturbance of the flow of Qi and Blood. This causes pain, swelling and sometimes bruising. Normally this blockage disappears during recovery, but when recovery is insufficient the pain can persist.

Common features are sharp or stabbing pain, a clearly identifiable painful spot, tenderness to pressure, swelling or bruising and pain after an injury or operation. This pattern occurs relatively often with bruises, sprains, muscle tears, sports injuries, whiplash, pain after operations and scar pain.

Acute or active phase: Wind-Damp

Wind and Damp can obstruct the flow in a meridian. This causes pain, stiffness and a heavy feeling in muscles and joints. Complaints are often influenced by the weather and usually improve with warmth or movement.

Common features are pain that worsens in cold or damp weather, stiffness especially after rest, a heavy feeling in the arms or legs, shifting pain and improvement with warmth. This pattern occurs relatively often with osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, chronic muscle and tendon complaints (myofascial pain) and acute joint complaints during or shortly after a viral infection, such as flu or viral arthritis.

Acute or active phase: Damp-Heat

When, in addition to a reduced flow, an inflammatory reaction is also present, Chinese medicine often speaks of Damp-Heat. Joints can be warm, red or swollen and the pain is usually more severe.

Common features are red or warm joints, swelling, a burning sensation, severe pain and a heavy feeling. This pattern occurs relatively often with gout, active joint inflammation, some forms of arthritis, inflamed tendons and inflamed bursae.

When recovery stagnates: chronic Qi and Blood stagnation

When an injury or overload does not recover sufficiently, the flow can remain reduced for a long time. Recovery then becomes ever slower and chronic pain complaints can arise.

Common features are stabbing or nagging pain, a fixed pain location, restricted movement, long-standing complaints and pain after exertion. This pattern occurs relatively often with frozen shoulder, tennis elbow, heel spur, chronic neck pain, chronic lower back pain and long-standing muscle and tendon complaints.

When recovery stagnates: Phlegm and Blood stasis

When a disturbance remains present for years, changes in the tissue can arise according to Chinese medicine. Thickening, adhesions or chronic swelling can develop, which further hinders recovery.

Common features are hard or thickened structures, chronic swelling, restricted movement and long-standing complaints. This pattern occurs relatively often with adhesions, chronic tendon thickening, scar tissue, chronic bursitis, long-standing swelling and restricted movement.

Chronic or degenerative phase: Qi and Blood deficiency

Sufficient energy and nutrients are needed for good recovery. When the body has insufficient Qi and Blood, muscles, tendons and joints recover less well and new overload arises more easily.

Common features are fatigue, reduced capacity, slow recovery, dull pain and muscle weakness. This pattern occurs relatively often with prolonged recovery after an injury, chronic muscle complaints, recurring sports injuries and difficult recovery after operations.

Chronic or degenerative phase: Liver and Kidney Yin deficiency

In Chinese medicine the Liver and Kidneys nourish the tendons, bones and joints. When this nourishing function declines, these tissues gradually lose their suppleness and capacity.

Common features are gradually developing pain, dry eyes, night sweats, a dry mouth and a feeling of warmth in the evening. This pattern occurs relatively often with osteoarthritis, cervical spondylosis, lumbar spondylosis, chronic tendon complaints and age-related joint complaints.

Chronic or degenerative phase: Kidney Yang deficiency

A shortage of warmth and energy can also cause muscles and joints to function less well. Complaints often worsen with cold and improve with warmth.

Common features are deep, dull pain, cold hands and feet, pain that worsens with cold, reduced capacity and a preference for warmth. This pattern occurs relatively often with osteoarthritis, chronic lower back pain, chronic knee complaints, degenerative back complaints and joint complaints that clearly respond to cold or damp.

Why does not everyone receive the same treatment?

Pain complaints often have a name, such as a tennis elbow, osteoarthritis, a herniated disc or bursitis. Such a diagnosis describes where the complaint is and which structures are involved. That is important in order to choose a good treatment and to rule out serious conditions.

Western medicine also looks at the factors that contribute to the onset and persistence of a complaint. A tennis elbow may arise in one person mainly through overload, while in someone else a reduced capacity of the tendon, restricted movement of the shoulder or neck, or a change in the way the body processes pain plays a bigger role. That is why treatment within physiotherapy or rehabilitation can also differ from person to person.

Chinese medicine likewise looks at the underlying cause of a complaint, but uses a different framework for this. It looks at the flow of Qi and Blood, the condition of muscles, tendons and joints, the influence of external factors such as cold or damp, and the general capacity of the body. This combination of features is summarised in a TCM pattern.

A TCM pattern therefore does not replace a Western diagnosis, but offers an additional way of looking at a complaint. As a result, two people with the same diagnosis can nevertheless receive a different treatment, because the factors causing or maintaining their complaints are not the same.

Prognosis

How quickly pain complaints improve differs from person to person. This depends among other things on the cause of the complaint, how long it has been present, the severity of the tissue damage, your general health and the extent to which the body is able to recover.

Acute complaints, such as a sprain or a recently developed neck or back injury, often respond faster to treatment than complaints that have been present for months or years. With long-standing pain, recovery is usually more gradual. The aim is then not only to reduce the pain, but also to improve the function of muscles, tendons and joints and to reduce the chance of complaints returning.

During the first consultation we look in detail at your complaints, the possible cause and the factors that influence recovery. On that basis a treatment plan is drawn up that suits your personal situation. Where necessary, treatment can be combined with, for example, physiotherapy, exercise therapy or other forms of conventional care.

Contact

Do you suffer from pain complaints and would you like to know whether acupuncture or Chinese herbal medicine can mean something for you? During a first consultation we take plenty of time to map out your complaints, medical history and personal situation. On that basis we draw up a treatment plan tailored to your personal situation.

Do you have questions or would you like to make an appointment? Please get in touch or book online right away.

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