Shoulder Pain

I have a client who is getting shoulder pain while at work. Sometimes it radiates down the arms to the hand and sometimes she can feel it in her SIJ. I have tried nutrition and basic exercise principles, could you give me some more direction?

Here are my thoughts in no particular order. Look into each of these and I am sure you will find your answer.

1. Could be an adhesion and NMT will help 2. Try a different type of stretching such as contract relax to those muscles. She should do them everyday and during the day at work 3. Educate her on proper posture and ergonomics and have her get evaluated 4. She might have some nerve entrapment or compression in that area. The shoulder has a lot of neurovascular structures that go through it, including the brachial plexus. The shoulder is complex and includes 5 joint. Have a CHEK 3 look into this for you. 5. According to the Lovett Brother Reactor, the atlas is correlated with the sacrum. So whatever happens above, happens below. The atlas can sublux about 10k different ways, so this can create instability, torsion, etc through the sacrum. This is due to the body trying to unwind the tension that is created in the spine. 6. An atlas issue can be from a breath issue, the jaw, vision issues, hearing issues, an atlas issue a cervical issue, etc, which does create shoulder and SIJ issues. 7. She might have thoracic outlet syndrome.

8. The LV/GB reflexes somatically to the R shoulder

 On the eastern side of it:

1. Fixed stabbing shoulder pain with a “lump,” this can be blood stagnation, heat in the SI, LU, LI and HT. Acupuncture to move the blood, should help.

2. It is is dull wandering pain, that is qi stagnation. Either way, acupuncture, gua sha, moxa, tiger balm or any other chinese modality should be added into the healing equation.

Joshua Rubin

www.eastwesthealing.com

Heat in blood

Josh-Thank you so much for your response. I have asked my client really start paying attention to the questions the acupuncturist is asking when she goes in, as it seems like he has a list he asks every time.

There does not seem to be anything going on with the digestive system and when he looks at her tongue, there may be a small spot representing stagnation.

They believe the heat is coming from the heart. A few years ago she was diagnosed with exercise tachycardia. When she places a hand on near her heart, on her belly or low back she can feel the heat trying to escape. It is not a warmth she has all the time. She’s been taking the herbs for about a month now and the rash has definitely gone down in itchiness, redness and size. There was never any pus.

What makes me think it’s heart related is when she exercises, the redness is more prominent. Once she cools down, it starts to go away. Does any of this make sense to you? Thanks again for all of your input.

Answer:

The body in TCM is not the same as in Western Medicine. Heart signs and sx are not always related to the heart or just to the heart. Typically (I am going to simplify this, but there is lots more) you can have 3 types of HT heat:1. Heat in the HT: shen or spiritual disorders, diff with sleep, dreaming, insomnia, poor memory, etc

2. HT Fire: This actually shows up with sores in the mouth, red tongue, etc

3. HT yin vacuity not checking yang causing overacting on UB: red, scanty and painful urine

4. Kidney yin deficiency not keeping heart yang in check: diff falling asleep, waking up and not going back to sleep, bad dreams, nigh sweats, insomnia

The heart usually has an issue with it because of another organ (in the TCM realm of it). Rashes in TCM are from heat, but usually not heart heat. They can be due to heat in a meridian (if the rash is on that meridian), heat in the LU, heat in LI, toxic heat in the heart, liver wind, liver blood or qi def and so forth.

Usually when people get red cheeks while exercising, this has to do more with a yin deficiency of some sort. This is common in most women secondary to being yin deficient, having blood stasis or cold in the blood. Eating more meats, red foods, etc help with this, along with liquid ginseng.

If she has other symptoms such as red cheeks, pale face, heat in the feet and palms, cold with aversion to cold, heat makes her feel better, rapid and fine pulse, red tongue not coat and night sweats, I can bet you she is yin (blood) deficient of some sort. This is usually due to a dysfunction in the spleen, liver and/or heart.

Keep in mind this is all the Chinese perspective.

Joshua Rubin

www.eastwesthealing.com