Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Hand and Leg Pain

Q: I suffer from inflammation in many parts of my body, especially along the meridian (gall bladder?) which runs down the outside of my thighs and on down, so much so that just touching anywhere along it causes extreme pain. The other issue is poor circulation, where my hands fall asleep at night. I don't know if these two things are related, but wondered if there were something you could suggest taking for either/both of these issues.
A: The pain down the side of your leg could be sciatic pain or sciatica. Du Huo Ji Sheng Wan may help.
The hands falling asleep at night may be carpal tunnel syndrome. China Tung Hsueh may help.
Both these products can be found at www.eastearthtrade.com

1 comment:

Unknown said...

I understand you may be looking for herbal remedies rather than musculoskeletal solutions but it sounds like you have two distinct problems--one with the pelvis and back and one with the neck and shoulders.
The problems creating neck pain are completely different than those creating back pain. Most people believe the same problem is at the roots of both because they both involve the spine. The truth of the matter is the spine is reacting to other forces acting on it.
So let's address both separately by giving you a couple little tests.
Let's start with your back pain. Lie down on your back with legs outstretched on the floor. Rest there for 30 seconds sensing whether your back pain gets worse or better. After 30 seconds, bend your knees to bring your feet close to your behind, resting on the floor. Rest there for 30 seconds.
Which felt better, knees straight or knees bent? If your back felt better with knees straight then you have a problem with your back flexing too easily or too much. If you felt better with your knees bent (as most peoples' backs do) then you have a problem with your spine having too much extension. It's simple to fix both of these conditions with a few exercises.
Next, let's talk about neck pain. Here's another simple test.
If you have right-sided neck pain or headaches, then place your right hand on top of your head. Make sure your head doesn't side-bend or rotate to make this happen. Rest there for 20 seconds. If your pain diminishes then it is likely caused by the shoulder blades sitting too low on your trunk. There are muscles that attach from the shoulder blades directly to the neck and skull which irritate them when the shoulder blade sits too low. This is also easily correctable. I’m a physical therapist who specializes in treating difficult chronic pain conditions and am very successful at it. The principles behind these tests can be found in my books. I’ve also posted two tests for neck pain and one test for back pain on YouTube, if you’re interested.
Best of luck to you.
Rick Olderman