Rheumatic low back and leg pain is more common in middle-aged and elderly people, why has it developed in young people in recent years?
Since it is rheumatic low back and leg pain, is "pain" a physical signal? Traditional Chinese medicine theory believes that the "kidney is the main bone", should the treatment of rheumatic low back and leg pain also emphasize the tonic kidney?
In this issue, we invite Lang Yulin, the founder of Lang's Traditional Chinese Medicine, and two generations of inheritors to teach you the TCM care for low back and leg pain.
When people reach middle and old age, there will inevitably be some pain in the body, especially in the joints, once the pain occurs, it is said that they have rheumatism, but is the low back and leg pain rheumatism?
The research on rheumatism in mainland China started late, and many patients lack the necessary knowledge of rheumatology, and there are many misunderstandings. Today, let's break the misunderstanding and learn the traditional Chinese medicine care for low back and leg pain together~
The misunderstood "rheumatism"
1. Rheumatism is not "rheumatoid"
Rheumatism and rheumatoid are the current simple names for rheumatoid arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, and rheumatology is also known as "Bi disease" or "Bi syndrome" in Chinese medicine.
Rheumatoid arthritis is an allergic orthopedic disease, which usually causes acute fever and joint pain. Symptoms are similar to those of rheumatoid arthritis, but are essentially different, rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic systemic autoimmune disease characterized by synovitis of the joints, with pathological basis synovitis and vasculitis, and rheumatism without a clear pathological basis.
Compared with rheumatoid arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis is milder and has generalized wandering pain as the main symptom, and there is no permanent damage to the joints after the symptoms disappear. According to the syndrome differentiation treatment of traditional Chinese medicine, the prognosis is better.
In addition to pain, rheumatoid arthritis also has swelling, joint rigidity, soft tissue contractures, limited joint mobility, etc., and if the treatment is not timely, it will also lead to joint stiffness, deformity, loss of function, resulting in disability, so it is more difficult to treat.
2. Traditional Chinese medicine rheumatism is different from Western medicine rheumatism
Rheumatism in modern medicine is divided into broad and narrow senses. In a broad sense, all diseases that cause bone, joint, and muscle pain can be classified as rheumatism, and in a narrow sense, it refers to dozens of diseases related to autoimmunity, such as rheumatoid arthritis, rheumatic fever, systemic lupus erythematosus, ankylosing spondylitis, gout, etc.
These diseases not only cause lesions of joints and muscles, but also can affect multiple internal organs, and are systemic diseases. Because it is related to autoimmunity, rheumatism in modern medicine is also called rheumatism.
To put it simply, there is a lot of overlap between "rheumatism" in Chinese and Western medicine, and in contrast, the scope of rheumatism in Chinese medicine may be broader, such as "old cold legs", which has normal laboratory tests but obvious symptoms, and is not included in the rheumatology system of Western medicine.
3. After the symptoms improve, stop the drug without permission
Many people stop taking medication after seeing that the joint is not painful, which is not advisable, and most rheumatic immune diseases are chronic diseases that require long-term drug maintenance treatment.
Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs are the mainstay of medication, which can not only control symptoms, but also delay or stop the progression of the disease, and need to be taken consistently for a long time. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which are mainly used to relieve symptoms, can be stopped when symptoms have resolved.
Of course, whether to stop the drug should be based on the doctor's guidance, use the minimum dose of the drug to maintain the stability of the condition for a long time, and do not reduce or stop the drug at will because of the fear of drug side effects, so as not to lead to recurrence and aggravation of the disease.
Rheumatic low back and leg pain
In fact, rheumatism can not be simply equated with low back and leg pain, with the increase of age, the body's calcium loss is more and more, and if it is not replenished in time, the joints will degenerate and produce pain. After women reach menopause, pain in the legs and feet is more common, most likely due to calcium deficiency, which has nothing to do with rheumatism.
Rheumatic low back and leg pain is caused by long-term exertion, cold stimulation, damp living environment and other factors, resulting in heaviness and pain in the lower back, restriction of forward and backward movements, aggravation of long-term sitting pain, and numbness and swelling pain in the buttocks and legs.
It is recommended that such patients go to the orthopedic or rheumatology department for routine blood test, rheumatic antibodies, lumbar CT or MRI examination, to determine whether it is rheumatic low back and leg pain or lumbar intervertebral disc herniation, and then treat the symptoms.
Traditional Chinese medicine theory believes that the "kidney is the main bone", so does rheumatic low back and leg pain need to tonify the kidney?
According to traditional Chinese medicine, low back pain is mainly related to factors such as feeling external evils, falling injuries and overwork. Being exposed to wind and cold, living in a humid environment for a long time, or engaging in heavy physical labor for a long time, or not fully recovering from a lumbar shock and impact injury can lead to blockage of qi and blood in the waist meridians, and it will be painful if it is not passed.
Low back pain is not necessarily kidney disease, patients can not feel low back pain blindly supplement the kidney, urinary system diseases such as urinary stones, rheumatological diseases such as spondyloarthritis, and many orthopedic diseases, such as lumbar muscle strain, lumbar disc herniation, osteoporosis, etc., will cause low back pain. Seek medical attention as soon as possible and treat it in a targeted manner based on a clear diagnosis.
Note: Goji berry has the effect of nourishing the liver and kidney, benefiting the purpose of shrewdness, and is a commonly used kidney tonic herb in daily life, and has a certain effect on low back pain caused by kidney deficiency.
TCM for the prevention of rheumatism
Patients with rheumatism are often deficient in yang qi, and the disease is prone to attack or aggravate when exposed to cold. Summer is the time when the temperature is the highest and the yang energy is the most vigorous throughout the year, at this time, the body's various functions are up to and the meridians are smooth, which is a favorable time to support the cultivation and nourish the yang energy, and we must seize the critical period of summer prevention and treatment to stay away from rheumatism.
1. Dietary regulation
Eat a balanced diet and pay attention to your protein intake. The daily protein intake should be between 20% ~ 30%, and choose high-quality protein, do not only take it from meat, the animal fat in meat can stimulate the release of inflammatory mediators in the body, so that the swelling and stiffness of the joints are aggravated, and the allergic reaction of the body is triggered.
桑枝炖汤
Ingredients: 60 grams of old mulberry sticks, 500 grams of chicken, 10 grams of ginger
Method: Wash the old mulberry branches, put the diced chicken and ginger into the pot, add 2500 grams of water, boil over high heat first, and then slowly simmer for two hours over low heat, add an appropriate amount of salt to taste after boiling.
There is a medicine called mulberry branch in traditional Chinese medicine, which has the effect of opening joints, Xingjin liquid, dispelling wind and water, and can treat symptoms such as wind, cold, dampness, limb spasm, and muscle itching. Modern Chinese medicine also believes that the use of mulberry branches can dispel wind and water, and has a good effect on shoulder and arm joint soreness and numbness.
2. Avoid the "evil wind"
"The Yellow Emperor's Neijing" cloud: "False evil thief wind, avoid it sometimes" and "The saint avoids the wind like a stone". Most of the "false evil thief winds" that cause disease are caused by abnormal climate changes, and now we must beware of "man-made thief winds".
In summer, the temperature is high, the body is always sweaty, especially after exercise, at this time, the pores of the skin of the whole body are in an open state for heat dissipation. Invasion of the human body causes coughing, sneezing, and can also cause rheumatism such as body aches and joint pain.
The correct way should be to "cool" yourself at room temperature for 10~20 minutes when entering the room from outside, and then enter the air-conditioned room (about 26°C) to rest in the cool after returning to normal body temperature.
To prevent rheumatic low back and leg pain, it is also necessary to pay attention to avoid cold, rain and moisture, keep the joints particularly warm, and do not wear wet clothes, wet shoes, wet socks, etc., which are the key to preventing rheumatism.
3 good sports
Nowadays, the concept of exercise and health is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and a variety of exercise methods are also emerging in an endless stream, some people have raised such questions, "Does walking backwards help treat low back pain?"
Experts deliberately answered this question, patients with rheumatic low back and leg pain should increase the amount of exercise in moderation, exercise can improve blood circulation, is conducive to improving the motor function of joints, prevent joint anklodor, deformity and muscle atrophy, you can choose Tai Chi, Baduanjin, walking, aerobics and other items.
But walking backwards is still not recommended, older people, the road is slightly uneven, it is easy to trip and fall and get injured, and the gains outweigh the losses. In addition, the temperature is high in summer, and over-intensity labor or exercise will lead to excessive sweating, loss of qi and yin, and even heat stroke, so try to avoid high temperature periods and pay attention to moderate exercise.
Due to the different pathogenesis of various rheumatic diseases, the treatment methods are also different, and only by distinguishing the specific types of rheumatism and treating them in a targeted manner can the disease be effectively controlled. Summer is the "golden period" for the treatment and prevention of rheumatic low back and leg pain, so we must pay attention to maintenance to lay the foundation for a stable winter.
(Health care of the great country)