Reflexology treatment for Lumbago

Lumbago patients may have pain in one or both sides of the waist.
   
Differential diagnosis: Patients with cold and damp pathogens may suffer from cold pain and heaviness in the waist, more severe on cloudy and rainy days but alleviated or relieved by heat, limitation of waist movement, white and greasy tongue coating, and slow and moderate pulse. Patients with blood stasis may suffer from severe pricking pain in a fixed location of the waist, more severe when pressed and at night but reduced during the day, limited waist movement in mild cases and great difficulty in severe cases, dark purple tongue, and uneven pulse. Patients with kidney deficiency may suffer from soreness, weakness and pain of waist and legs, and aggravation of local pain after long standing or fatigue. Patients with kidney Yang deficiency may have a pale complexion, aversion to cold, and cold limbs; and patients with Yin kidney deficiency may have flushed face, insomnia, dryness in mouth and throat, hotness in palms and soles, red tongue, and wiry, thready and rapid pulse. Lumbago in patients with kidney diseases, rheumatic diseases, rheumatoid diseases, strain, trauma and inflammation of muscles and bones in waist may be treated by the following methods.
   
Treatment:
Foot massage: The massage is applied to kidney (22), lumbar spine (55), ureter (23) and urinary bladder (24) reflecting areas (Fig. 61).
   
Foot  acupuncture:
1) Meridianal  acupoints: At Jiexi (ST 41), Yongquan (KI 1 ), Taixi (KI3), Dazhong (KI 4) and Taichong (LR 3) acupoints, a reducing technique is applied for patients with cold and damp pathogens or blood stasis, and a reinforcing technique is applied to patients with kidney deficiency. Moxibustion after acupuncture is applied to patients with cold and damp pathogens and kidney deficiency, and Shugu (BL 65) is added for lumbago due to blood stasis. During retention of needles, the patient is helped to do sit-ups and a gentle rotation and forward and backward motion of the waist is performed after removal of needles.

2) Extra acupoints: At Xiakunlun (EX-F 3) and Quanshengzu (EX-F 7) acupoints, a reducing technique is applied to patients with cold and damp pathogens or blood stasis, and a reinforcing technique is applied to patients with deficiency of kidney Yang or kidney Yin. The needles are retained for 20 minutes and moxibustion after acupuncture is applied to patients with cold and damp pathogens or kidney Yang deficiency.

3) Foot acupoints: At Lumbago (FA-D 4), Waist and leg (FA-D 9), Kidney (FA-P 14) and Ischium 1 (FA-P 18) acupoints, a moderate twisting stimulation is applied and the needles are retained for 20 minutes. Moxibustion after acupuncture is applied to patients with cold and damp pathogens or kidney Yang deficiency.