If you are reading this, then you have probably had pain for months or even years. You go see your doctors, and they perform all the scans we are all too familiar with. The scans often come back normal. You may have been told that it is all in your head or that it is random, and the medications they prescribed are now working less and less.

Pain is not random. Your body does not give these signals without reason. Your body is the product of a system where wastefulness does not support balance in nature. Pain is not just tissue damage. Sure, that is the most common form of pain we know, especially from early experiences like scraping our knees on the playground. But what pain truly is, is a signal of disrupted internal communication.

From a Chinese medicine perspective, pain is not something to suppress, mask, or desensitize. It is something to interpret so that we can understand how to resolve it before it gets worse.

The core principle written in ancient texts states:

Where there is blockage, there is pain.

Where there is free flow, there is no pain.

Based on this principle, pain is an interruption of communication. We can translate this into modern language, where circulation, including blood flow, nerve signaling, fascial glide, and bioelectric signaling, determines whether pain is present.

Often, we are asked the question, “What is pain?” But through thousands of years of clinical trial and error, the more accurate question is not simply how bad your pain is, but what kind of pain you are experiencing and what it is trying to tell you.

The first type of pain is one that moves around. It is often intermittent, and the position of the body can either aggravate or alleviate it. Ancient physicians coined the term “Wind” to describe this pattern. In modern terms, this can often be correlated with nervous system dysregulation.

Before giving examples of common challenges patients face today, it is important to further differentiate the term Wind. In Chinese medicine, disease progression is categorized as internal or external, where internal conditions are typically more severe. Think of the difference between a sinus infection and full-blown pneumonia.

Wind is also categorized into external Wind and internal Wind.

External Wind refers to what is supposed to be moving but has now stopped. A common example is Bell’s Palsy, where the seventh cranial nerve is affected, leading to sudden weakness or paralysis of facial muscles. This principle can also be applied to conditions such as frozen shoulder, rheumatoid arthritis, acute muscle tightness, and torticollis.

Internal Wind refers to what is not supposed to be moving but has now begun moving without conscious control. This is a more severe presentation and can be correlated with conditions such as stroke, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, diabetic neuropathy, tremors and trigeminal neuralgia.

One of the most common examples of Wind-type moving pain I see in clinic is sciatica. Sciatica is defined as pain radiating along the sciatic nerve from the lower back down one leg, often caused by nerve compression from conditions such as a herniated disc, spinal stenosis, or bone spurs. It can feel sharp, burning, or like an electric shock, and is often accompanied by numbness or tingling.

There are generally two types of sciatica. To differentiate them, I often ask patients whether the sensation travels past the knee, and if so, into which part of the foot or toe.

When the pain does not travel past the knee, it is often due to muscular compression around the hip and gluteal region. This is commonly seen in individuals whose work requires prolonged sitting. In these cases, overactivation of muscles such as the piriformis can lead to compression of the sciatic nerve.

If caught early, this type of pain can often be resolved with acupuncture to relax the muscles and calm the nerves, combined with corrective stretching and exercise.

When the pain travels past the knee into the foot or toes, it is more indicative of intervertebral involvement, where the nerve is affected at the spinal level. This type of sciatica typically requires more comprehensive intervention, including microcurrent electro-acupuncture and herbal medicine to support tissue healing and modulate pain at its origin, along with complementary therapies such as chiropractic care or physical therapy.

The second type of pain is referred to as Cold. This type of pain feels fixed, deep, and achy. It is often made worse by cold and improves with heat. When palpated, the affected area may feel cooler than the surrounding tissue.

A common presentation of this type is neck pain or “wry neck.” Patients often report waking up with tightness and pain after sleeping in an environment where cool air is directed at the body. Over time, this repeated exposure causes contraction in deeper muscle layers, leading to reduced circulation and pain.

Since cold can induce pain then so would its opposite. Heat-type pain presents as red, hot, swollen, and inflamed. This is commonly seen in physical injuries, systemic inflammation, and infections.

One example involved a patient presenting with throbbing, swollen pain in one arm. The area was visibly red and warm to the touch. Based on assessment, this was identified as a heat presentation. Treatment focused on resolving accumulation and restoring proper fluid movement. The patient experienced rapid improvement in both pain and mobility, and full recovery occurred over a short course of care. The patient was then referred back to their primary care provider for further evaluation to rule out any underlying conditions.

The next category involves fluids. In traditional Chinese medicine, body fluids are categorized as either useful or pathological. Useful fluids include thin fluids, known as Jin, such as tears, saliva, sweat, and urine, as well as thicker fluids such as synovial fluid, spinal disc material, bone marrow, and digestive secretions.

Pathological fluids are referred to as dampness or phlegm. An example of this can be seen in joint injuries such as a sprained ankle, where swelling develops as a temporary protective response. However, if the fluid is not properly reabsorbed, it can lead to prolonged stagnation and pain.

This pattern is also seen in metabolic conditions such as obesity, insulin resistance, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, where the body is inefficient at transforming nutrients, leading to accumulation and a sense of heaviness in the body.

The final type of pain recognized in Chinese medicine is Blood Stasis. This is characterized by sharp, stabbing, well-localized pain where patients can point directly to the affected area. It is often worse at night or with pressure.

This reflects impaired microcirculation, where blood flow is not adequately nourishing the tissue. It is commonly seen in post-surgical pain, old injuries, and chronic headaches.

Aside from the different types of pain, it is also important to understand why people experience pain differently. Pain is subjective, but that does not mean it is not real. Research shows that emotional state and past trauma can influence how pain is perceived. The deeper the emotional stress, the more intense the pain may feel.

The body remembers trauma. You can observe this by asking where people hold stress. Some clench their jaw, others breathe shallowly, and many brace their core or tighten their back. Over time, these patterns become chronic.

In recent years, we have also begun to recognize how lifestyle factors contribute to pain. A significant portion of modern food is highly processed and lacks nutritional value. In Chinese medicine, proper nutrition is essential for building Blood.

When the quality of Blood is poor, sensitivity to pain increases. I have seen this in patients with long histories of physical stress, where even minimal stimulation can feel overwhelming.

In one case, a patient with a long history of physical strain presented with severe muscle and tendon tightness, insomnia, and fatigue. Despite a high tolerance for pain earlier in life, they had become highly sensitive to even light treatment. Initially, only minimal acupuncture could be tolerated. Treatment focused on rebuilding the system through herbal medicine, followed by gradual introduction of gentle microcurrent electro-acupuncture. Over time, the patient was able to tolerate full treatment, and pain symptoms were resolved.

Chronic pain is rarely just a structural issue, and it is almost never random. It reflects patterns, patterns of obstruction, patterns of depletion, and patterns of how the body has adapted over time.

When we understand pain this way, the goal shifts. Instead of chasing symptoms or relying on temporary relief, we begin to restore circulation, regulate the nervous system, and support the body’s ability to recover.

If you have been dealing with pain that keeps returning, changing, or not responding the way it should, it may not be a matter of trying harder, but looking at it differently.

There is usually a pattern behind it. And once that pattern is identified, it can be treated.

If you have been dealing with pain that keeps returning, changing, or not responding the way it should, the next step is not more trial and error.

It is proper evaluation.

Because once the pattern behind your pain is identified, treatment becomes more precise, and much more effective.

If you are ready to understand what your pain is actually telling you, you can schedule a consultation to get a clear assessment and a targeted treatment plan.