How To Find Relief From Chronic Knee Pain

[Guest guest]

How to Experience Relief From Chronic Knee Pain

 

http://drbenkim.com/articles-knee-pain-relief.htm

 

Even if you don't currently have a knee problem, I

encourage you to read this article, as it outlines a

few simple steps that you can take to help prevent the

development of knee problems in the years ahead.

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Chinese Traditional Medicine , " Patricia Ann Haring "

<patth wrote:

>

> How to Experience Relief From Chronic Knee Pain

>

> http://drbenkim.com/articles-knee-pain-relief.htm

 

Thanks for a good article on knee pain.

 

I want to round out the article with some TCM info:

 

First, in TCM, knee pain is a symptom that points to possible Kidney

imbalance. Knee pain isn't always due to Kidney imbalance - for

example, the possible causes listed in the article - but Kidney

imbalance is one of the things that needs to be ruled in or ruled

out when a person has knee pain.

 

There also are some interceptions between chiropractic and TCM.

Misalignment affects nerve flow and can affect blood flow. What

you're then looking at from a TCM standpoint is Blood Stasis.

Usually Blood Stasis is treated by various herbs, depending on its

severity. BUT sometimes what is needed - especially in localized

Blood Stasis are massage and/or chiropractic treatments.

 

Keep in mind that the TCM definition of Blood (not equivalent to

blood) is that it nourishes and moistens. If there is Blood Stasis

from any cause, the Blood is not sufficiently reaching areas of the

body to properly nourish and moisten, and in time degenerative

changes can occur.

 

There may also be problems in the channels, aka meridians. The

meridians are pathways of Qi (pronounced " chee " , roughly though

inadequately translated as " energy " ) flow. A special kind of Qi

called Nutritive Qi also circulates through the Blood vessels with

the Blood. One of the functions of Qi is that it warms in its Yang

aspect.

 

One thing for chiropracters and massage therapists who are learning

TCM to keep in mind is to note if an area of the body is unusually

cold or hot. For example, in some people experiencing hip and knee

pain, the area of the hips will be noticeably cooler than the rest

of the body. In time after you learn the locations of the meridians,

you may note unusual sensations along segments of the course of a

particular meridian. The segment may be unusually cold or hot, the

skin may look unusual in some way, the client may report unusual

sensations in this area like tingling or puckering, etc. Unusual

sensations along a segment of a meridian is a sign that there is a

problem in that meridian.

 

One of the first things new students of TCM learn is that nothing is

static. For example, let's say that a person is having pain in the

hips and knees and the hip area is unusually cold. Regardless of the

original cause of the Cold - trauma or obesity causing misalignment

which interferes with Blood and Qi flow to the area or invasion of a

meridian by Exterior Cold or whatever - in time the Cold is going to

make the alignment problem worse (because cold can cause muscles to

contract excessively), and the alignment problem is going to make

the cold worse because of the interference with Blood and Qi flow.

It's a snowballing situation.

 

Sometimes correcting the trauma or obesity problem is going to be

enough to correct the cold problem and thus the Blood Stasis and Qi

Stagnation problems. (Cold is one of the things that can trigger

Blood Stasis and Qi Stagnation. There are other things like trauma,

Blood Deficiency, etc.) But sometimes the adjustments and massage

will help the problem only temporarily because the Root is something

else and the misalignment is a Branch of that Root. (Like when

chiroprater and DO adjustments down't last because the person has an

unusual sensitivity to cold, and cold is causing the muscles to

contract hard enough and long enough to pull things out of

alignment. The problems with Cold is the Root, and the misalignment

is a Branch. BTW magnesium deficiency also can do this.)

 

In cases where the Cold is the Root, other steps will need to be

taken. Is the person getting invaded easily by Cold from the

environment because the person is Protective Qi Deficient, Yang

Deficient, and/or Blood Deficient? That will need to be corrected.

Also, the Cold will need to be expelled from the Exterior of the

body (head, neck, arms, legs, skin, muscles, meridians, and bones)

and the Exterior warmed by the use of herbs like RAW ginger (not

dried) or acupunction or acupressure.

 

This is not TCM, but castor oil packs with a heating pad can be very

good for treating some cases of localized Blood Stasis and Qi

Stagnation. Castor oil packs are contraindicated when a woman is

having her period and also in cases of cancer.

 

A reminder that the names of TCM Organs are capitalized because they

are NOT equivalent to the anatomical organs. TCM Organs are

collections of functions.

 

I also want to point out that what is Cold to a person who is

Protective Qi Deficient - especially if the person also is Yang

Deficient - may not be what is Cold to a well person. Sweat

evaporating off the skin in summer can chill some of these people

enough to cause problems. So can a sudden drop in summertime

temperature - like when there's a summer storm - even though the

drop is not really that much. These people have problems adjusting

quickly enough to changes in the environment.

[Guest guest]

" victoria_dragon " <victoria_dragon wrote:

 

>

> I want to round out the article with some TCM info:

>

> First, in TCM, knee pain is a symptom that points to possible

> Kidney

> imbalance. Knee pain isn't always due to Kidney imbalance - for

> example, the possible causes listed in the article - but Kidney

> imbalance is one of the things that needs to be ruled in or ruled

> out when a person has knee pain.

>

> There also are some interceptions between chiropractic and TCM.

> Misalignment affects nerve flow and can affect blood flow. What

> you're then looking at from a TCM standpoint is Blood Stasis.

> Usually Blood Stasis is treated by various herbs, depending on its

> severity. BUT sometimes what is needed - especially in localized

> Blood Stasis are massage and/or chiropractic treatments.

>

> Keep in mind that the TCM definition of Blood (not equivalent to

> blood) is that it nourishes and moistens. If there is Blood Stasis

> from any cause, the Blood is not sufficiently reaching areas of the

> body to properly nourish and moisten, and in time degenerative

> changes can occur.

>

> There may also be problems in the channels, aka meridians. The

> meridians are pathways of Qi (pronounced " chee " , roughly though

> inadequately translated as " energy " ) flow. A special kind of Qi

> called Nutritive Qi also circulates through the Blood vessels with

> the Blood. One of the functions of Qi is that it warms in its Yang

> aspect.

>

> One thing for chiropracters and massage therapists who are learning

> TCM to keep in mind is to note if an area of the body is unusually

> cold or hot. For example, in some people experiencing hip and knee

> pain, the area of the hips will be noticeably cooler than the rest

> of the body. In time after you learn the locations of the

> meridians,

> you may note unusual sensations along segments of the course of a

> particular meridian. The segment may be unusually cold or hot, the

> skin may look unusual in some way, the client may report unusual

> sensations in this area like tingling or puckering, etc. Unusual

> sensations along a segment of a meridian is a sign that there is a

> problem in that meridian.

>

> One of the first things new students of TCM learn is that nothing

> is

> static. For example, let's say that a person is having pain in the

> hips and knees and the hip area is unusually cold. Regardless of

> the

> original cause of the Cold - trauma or obesity causing misalignment

> which interferes with Blood and Qi flow to the area or invasion of

> a

> meridian by Exterior Cold or whatever - in time the Cold is going

> to

> make the alignment problem worse (because cold can cause muscles to

> contract excessively), and the alignment problem is going to make

> the cold worse because of the interference with Blood and Qi flow.

>

> It's a snowballing situation.

 

I just wanted to add that as a massage therapist, when someone has a

knee problem, there's usually trigger points or very tight muscles in

the thigh. Several meridians flow through there - besides Kidney,

there's Spleen, Liver, Stomach and Gall Bladder, and Bladder on the

back or hamstrings. So it's not a bad idea to look at other meridians

besides as Kidney.

 

sue

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Victoria!!! Kudos ... you did a wonderful job " rounding out " the article!

 

Thank you!

 

 

" victoria_dragon " <victoria_dragon

Re: How To Find Relief From Chronic Knee Pain

 

Chinese Traditional Medicine , " Patricia Ann Haring "

<patth wrote:

>

> How to Experience Relief From Chronic Knee Pain

>

> http://drbenkim.com/articles-knee-pain-relief.htm

 

Thanks for a good article on knee pain.

 

I want to round out the article with some TCM info:

 

First, in TCM, knee pain is a symptom that points to possible Kidney

imbalance. Knee pain isn't always due to Kidney imbalance - for

example, the possible causes listed in the article - but Kidney

imbalance is one of the things that needs to be ruled in or ruled

out when a person has knee pain.

 

There also are some interceptions between chiropractic and TCM.

Misalignment affects nerve flow and can affect blood flow. What

you're then looking at from a TCM standpoint is Blood Stasis.

Usually Blood Stasis is treated by various herbs, depending on its

severity. BUT sometimes what is needed - especially in localized

Blood Stasis are massage and/or chiropractic treatments.

 

Keep in mind that the TCM definition of Blood (not equivalent to

blood) is that it nourishes and moistens. If there is Blood Stasis

from any cause, the Blood is not sufficiently reaching areas of the

body to properly nourish and moisten, and in time degenerative

changes can occur.

 

There may also be problems in the channels, aka meridians. The

meridians are pathways of Qi (pronounced " chee " , roughly though

inadequately translated as " energy " ) flow. A special kind of Qi

called Nutritive Qi also circulates through the Blood vessels with

the Blood. One of the functions of Qi is that it warms in its Yang

aspect.

 

One thing for chiropracters and massage therapists who are learning

TCM to keep in mind is to note if an area of the body is unusually

cold or hot. For example, in some people experiencing hip and knee

pain, the area of the hips will be noticeably cooler than the rest

of the body. In time after you learn the locations of the meridians,

you may note unusual sensations along segments of the course of a

particular meridian. The segment may be unusually cold or hot, the

skin may look unusual in some way, the client may report unusual

sensations in this area like tingling or puckering, etc. Unusual

sensations along a segment of a meridian is a sign that there is a

problem in that meridian.

 

One of the first things new students of TCM learn is that nothing is

static. For example, let's say that a person is having pain in the

hips and knees and the hip area is unusually cold. Regardless of the

original cause of the Cold - trauma or obesity causing misalignment

which interferes with Blood and Qi flow to the area or invasion of a

meridian by Exterior Cold or whatever - in time the Cold is going to

make the alignment problem worse (because cold can cause muscles to

contract excessively), and the alignment problem is going to make

the cold worse because of the interference with Blood and Qi flow.

It's a snowballing situation.

 

Sometimes correcting the trauma or obesity problem is going to be

enough to correct the cold problem and thus the Blood Stasis and Qi

Stagnation problems. (Cold is one of the things that can trigger

Blood Stasis and Qi Stagnation. There are other things like trauma,

Blood Deficiency, etc.) But sometimes the adjustments and massage

will help the problem only temporarily because the Root is something

else and the misalignment is a Branch of that Root. (Like when

chiroprater and DO adjustments down't last because the person has an

unusual sensitivity to cold, and cold is causing the muscles to

contract hard enough and long enough to pull things out of

alignment. The problems with Cold is the Root, and the misalignment

is a Branch. BTW magnesium deficiency also can do this.)

 

In cases where the Cold is the Root, other steps will need to be

taken. Is the person getting invaded easily by Cold from the

environment because the person is Protective Qi Deficient, Yang

Deficient, and/or Blood Deficient? That will need to be corrected.

Also, the Cold will need to be expelled from the Exterior of the

body (head, neck, arms, legs, skin, muscles, meridians, and bones)

and the Exterior warmed by the use of herbs like RAW ginger (not

dried) or acupunction or acupressure.

 

This is not TCM, but castor oil packs with a heating pad can be very

good for treating some cases of localized Blood Stasis and Qi

Stagnation. Castor oil packs are contraindicated when a woman is

having her period and also in cases of cancer.

 

A reminder that the names of TCM Organs are capitalized because they

are NOT equivalent to the anatomical organs. TCM Organs are

collections of functions.

 

I also want to point out that what is Cold to a person who is

Protective Qi Deficient - especially if the person also is Yang

Deficient - may not be what is Cold to a well person. Sweat

evaporating off the skin in summer can chill some of these people

enough to cause problems. So can a sudden drop in summertime

temperature - like when there's a summer storm - even though the

drop is not really that much. These people have problems adjusting

quickly enough to changes in the environment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Chinese Traditional Medicine , suzee <qiuser wrote:

 

> I just wanted to add that as a massage therapist, when someone has a

> knee problem, there's usually trigger points or very tight muscles in

> the thigh. Several meridians flow through there - besides Kidney,

> there's Spleen, Liver, Stomach and Gall Bladder, and Bladder on the

> back or hamstrings. So it's not a bad idea to look at other meridians

> besides as Kidney.

 

I want to go into this in some more detail for the readers who are new

to TCM and for the beginning TCM students.

 

Knee problems can arise from both Exterior and Interior imbalances.

When a person complains of knee pain and/or back pain, this can

indicate an Interior imbalance (the Organs the Kidneys are affected).

There may be Kidney Yang Deficiency, Kidney Yin Deficiency, Kidney Qi

Deficiency, and/or Kidney Jing Deficiency. Or the problem may be

Exterior, affecting the muscles, bones, or meridians. Or, it can be a

combination of Exterior and Interior. But whenever someone has knee

and/or back pain the possibility of Kidney (Organ) imbalance has to be

ruled in or ruled out.

 

The term " Exterior " refers to the head, neck, arms, legs, skin,

muscles, meridians, and bones. The term " Interior " refers to the

trunk of the body, specifically the internal Organs. Beginning

students will want to memorize this. It is going to come up a lot.

 

Interior imbalances are more serious, harder to treat, and usually

take longer to treat than Exterior imbalances. This doesn't mean that

Exterior imbalances can't be very painful and even debilitating.

Witness some cases of arthritis.

 

When the Interior (the Organs) are affected, there will be changes in

bodily processes: Breathing, digestion, bowel movements, urination,

mood, etc.

 

Something else the beginning students will be studying are the

Pernicious Evils. These are Wind, Heat, Cold, Dryness, and Dampness

(and Fire). For now I want you to think just about Wind, Heat, Cold,

Dryness, and Dampness that originate in the environment. In other

words, weather or environmental conditions.

 

Healthy people have resistence to the effects of weather. They quickly

adapt to changes in the weather.

 

The main thing that gives a person resistence to changes in weather or

the environment is a special kind of Qi called Protective Qi (aka

Defensive Qi) which circulates at the surface of the body.

 

Sometimes even basically healthy people temporarily will have low

Protective Qi. Say for example, the person hasn't been getting enough

rest or sleep because of some kind of deadline. Or, the person ate

too many sweets at a party, has been living off junk food, eating on

the run, etc. The Defensive Qi temporarily is weak, and a Pernicious

Evil invades from the environment. In other words, the person is

affected by the weather or environment. For example, the person

starts having arthritis pains because it's humid, cold, and/or windy.

 

When Pernicious Evils invade, they hit the Exterior of the body

first. Remember, that's the skin, muscles, meridians, and bones (as

well as the head, neck, arms, and legs). When the Pernicious Evils get

to the meridians, there is an order in which they get hit. Usually,

the first two affected are the Bladder and the Small Intestine

meridians because they are the most Exterior of the meridians. All

meridians are classified as Exterior, but some are more Exterior than

others.

 

Sometimes these invading Pernicious Evils will move deeper and deeper

into the body until they invade the Interior. They start to affect

the Organs. Then the person really has problems! Or sometimes they

will stay lodged in the Exterior, moving neither deeper nor leaving

the body until proper treatment is given to expel them.

 

Some of the Western readers may be having trouble with the concept of

weather and environment conditions invading the body. What's being

talked about here is the effect things in the environment can have on

the body. For example, Western researchers have found that when

barometric pressure drops, the tissues in some susceptible individuals

swell. Sometimes this swelling is enough to cause pain. Putting this

in TCM terms, one would say the person is being invaded by Wind.

(Wind is caused by differences in barometric pressure. The TCM

concept of Wind includes not only actual wind but changes in

barometric pressure (up or down) and changes in ion concentrations.)

 

Sometimes conditions like arthritis are acute. They come and go

infrequently, depending on factors like how severe the weather is and

if the person temporarily has too much of a decline in Protective Qi.

But sometimes, arthritis is chronic. It doesn't take much of a change

in weather to set the pain off, and the person has pain often. What

is happening in those cases that in addition to Wind, Cold, and/or

Dampness invading, the person has some Interior imbalances that prime

the person for being very weather sensitive. This usually is Blood

Deficiency and/or Qi Deficiency. It's not just the Protective Qi that

is Deficient, the person is all over Qi Deficient. Almost always the

Spleen is weak. (The Spleen plays a major role both in the body having

enough Qi and in Blood production. Remember, this is TCM physiology,

not anatomy and physiology. TCM Organs are collections of functions.)

 

Some readers may have noticed that I was very careful to refer to

weather AND environmental conditions. That's because there is such a

thing as artificial weather conditions. For example, sitting in the

draft from an air conditioner. The way some heating systems can overly

dry out a house in the winter. Etc.

 

Sometimes there will be problems in the meridians and the Organs at

the same time.

 

BTW, there are some special acupoints on the back that will tell the

healer if there are problems in a particular Organ. If one of these

points is sore when pressed (sometimes sore even without pressing),

this tells the healer that there is an Interior imbalance in the

corresponding Organ.