Back pain is a very general term used by the masses to describe the debilitating pain that they suffer on a daily basis. There are many types of back pains, and many causes of such conditions. Here are some of the most prevalent conditions and what usually causes them.
Pain in the Neck, Shoulders and Arm(s)
a) Much of the time, pain in this area is caused by stress, and a new affliction that we have termed as “Text Neck” that is caused by the patient looking down at his/her mobile for long periods of time while playing games or texting, or working using the mobile phone.
Many young people who constantly use the mobile are very prone to getting this neck-strain condition which gives them a pain in the neck, quite literally !
Many patients come with this problem, walk out fully healed after one treatment, while chronic cases take about 2 – 3 treatments.
b) Cervical Spondylosis is more debilitating condition for a patient as one or more of the discs in the neck is not 100% in place. This causes periodic abrasions between the spinal column and the spinal cord, which in turn causes chronic pain to the patient, occasionally leading to numbness going down the arms to the fingers.
Some of these patients find it difficult to turn their heads, with limited range of movement. When they consult the orthopaedic, they are given painkillers, muscle relaxants and anti-inflammation medication and told to do physiotherapy religiously to get well. When all these fail, they are often told to undergo surgery
At Chin’s Qi Tuina, we have helped heal many cervical spondylosis patients recover and heal, returning to them their quality of life. One such case was Loretta who has since gone back to line dancing and zumba !
The spine needs to be re-positioned in these cases, and muscle building through performing the correct exercises, must be carried out diligently for long term effectiveness.
c) Disc Herniation is the collapsing of the discs along the spine, and can cause considerable, consistent pain. Orthopaedics would usually recommend physiotherapy first, and if that does not work, then surgery.
We can optimally align the spine in the best way to accommodate herniated discs instead of turning towards operations. Beatrice suffered from this condition of herniated / prolapsed discs.
d) Stenosis is the narrowing of the spinal column due to calcium deposits, and this makes it easier for the spinal cord to accidentally come into contact with the spinal column resulting in excruciating pain.
Again the orthopedic would probably recommend surgery to clean out the calcium deposits. We, on the other hand, would align the spinal column so that it does not touch the spinal cord. Certain exercises are taught to strengthen the patient’s core muscles and the supporting tendons and ligaments.
e) Slipped Discs is as the name suggests, spinal discs that are moved out of position and causes the affected disc to come into contact with one or more nerves, or the spinal cord, causing sharp pain in that area of the back, most of the time.
We re-position and realign the spine so that the disc(s) fall back into their correct positions. We have successfully treated Dr. Kamal who had 5 slipped discs for many years, in 2 treatments. He was advised to go for spine surgery. He is a veterinarian.
Also, an ex-parachutist and captain in the army, Datuk Seri Dr. Alif Aiman, and a 9th Dan Taekwondo and Hapkido Instructor also had his 3 slipped discs and 2 extremely arthritic knees fixed up at Chin’s Qi Tuina Centre and now he is back instructing advanced Taekwondo and Hapkido classes, jumping kicks and all !
f) Sciatica is the sciatic nerve that runs from the lower back to the spine being caught by your spine, or hip, and that gives the sufferer excruciating pain almost 24 hours a day.
It usually affects the patient down one leg. We have treated many cases of sciatica successfully in Chin’s Qi Tuina Centre, and usually we settle the affliction completely in 2 sessions. Mr. Chin Hock Soon, Mr. Joe Tan from Segamat, Ms. Rosyhini and Ms. June Ooi were 4 such cases. There have been many more where the relief was met by total disbelief as these patients have tried almost every treatment they could find, to no avail. It took them a few seconds to realize the pain had gone !! These cases are detailed at length in our FaceBook page.
g) Avascular Necrosis
Avascular necrosis is the death of bone tissue due to a lack of blood supply. Also called osteonecrosis, it can lead to tiny breaks in the bone and the bone’s eventual collapse.
A broken bone or dislocated joint can interrupt the blood flow to a section of bone. Avascular necrosis is also associated with long-term use of high-dose steroid medications and excessive alcohol intake.
Anyone can be affected, but the condition is most common in people between the ages of 30 and 50. Veronica was diagnosed with this condition.
2. Misdiagnosis by the “experts” called specialists. Back pain felt by the patient may not be caused by back problems as those stated above.
There have been over 10 cases that have come to Chin’s Qi Tuina Centre, with patients at a loss as to what their problem was, the only symptom they could relate to was the pain in their lower back, some with the pain going down the leg(s) too. Here are 2 cases worth mentioning.
a) Sue brought her mother to our Qi Tuina Centre and related a nightmare of a tale that had her mother in pain for the last 3 months. She needed Sue to hold up her left side to walk, she tipped over to her right side when she sat, and she lost 15kg in the last 3 months due to the pain. She had no appetite and could not sleep She had a terrible pain in her left lower back.
Her children took her to a well established expensive private hospital and they X-rayed, CT scanned, MRI her, did extensive blood tests and even took some tissue out for biopsy. 5 days later, the specialists came in and said her back and hip were in great shape and nothing was wrong with them. Cost them RM17,000 for all the tests.
They went to other hospitals, sinsehs, ayurvedic and TCM and the result was the same … “Your back and hip are fine, Madam!”. When they came, I checked the back and hip and concluded they were fine too, but we found out the culprit causing the back pain and the pain down her left leg, and after (after the 1st session, she could already walk without any assistance) 4 sessions with us, her back pain was totally gone, and we did not lay a hand on her back at all !!
b) Shirley had migrated to Perth with her husband, Australia, and she had developed a backache that would not go away, and the pain would go down her leg to her heel and ankle. She could not walk after 10 steps. They own a farm in Perth and her not being able to walk was extremely inconvenient. She consulted her orthopedic in Perth, then had a second opinion from another orthopedic in Singapore, and a third & fourth opinion from a spinal surgeon and a neurosurgeon in Kuala Lumpur. Their diagnosis was that her spinal column had a spur which impinged on a nerve, and they needed to operate on her to correct that.
She had undergone all the CT scans, MRIs etc tests and everything, so she made the appointment for her surgery to be carried out the following week in Kuala Lumpur. She came to Taman Tun Dr. Ismail in K.L. to visit her close friend, Audrey, who asked her to try out Chin’s Qi Tuina Centre which is down the road from Audrey’s house. Audrey, and her husband, Cheah, were my patients before.
So Shirley came with Audrey, although her operation was fixed for the next week. We took the diagnosis with a pinch of salt and treated her back pain for a combination of trapped tendon in the hip and swollen tendons from the hip down to the calves. She felt the pain melt away and came twice more and got the pain reduced by 70%. She cancelled her operation (recommended by 2 orthopaedics, 1 spinal surgeon and 1 neurosurgeon in Perth, Singapore & Kuala Lumpur) forthwith. Now, she is totally recovered after 3 more sessions, and she just dropped by to visit us (Dec. 2019) just before Christmas, in the pink of health.
Her case is featured in our FaceBook site. Please go to “Chin’s Qi Tuina” in FB.
SUMMARY
Always get a second, third, or even a fourth opinion before agreeing to an operation. Operations should only be the last resort, and be wary of specialists who try to scare you into getting operated on quickly. Operations are invasive and risky by nature, and should be avoided wherever and whenever possible. To visit our FaceBook site, click here, or Google “Chin’s Qi Tuina” for more patients’ reviews. To book an appointment please call or whatsapp Ellen at +6-012-3732909 or click here to use our online real time booking system.
31st March 2021.