Happy Family Day to you all!
Now, to answer a very common question I hear in clinic…. “Why does my pain get worse at night?”
According to Chinese Medicine, during the day, the blood is moving and circulating through the body as we go through our daily activities. At night, our blood is less active.
In a person who already has stagnant blood at an injury site, this stagnation will be more pronounced.
Blood stagnation pain is fixed, stabbing, acute, and severe.
Qi stagnation pain feels more achey and “distending”, and is not as fixed and severe as blood stagnation.
Both of these types of pain will be aggravated at night though.. So what to do?
Blood stagnation needs more aggressive treatment to get the blood moving. This can include Acupuncture, fire cupping, soft tissue manipulation, and herbs. 🪴
Herbs are often the best, since it is something you can take at home several times a day.
Some Qi Gong or gentle movement to get blood moving to the injured area will be helpful before bed.
Another aspect could be dehydration and over doing it during the day. If your body does not have enough blood or hydrated cells to nourish your injury site, this will make the blood or qi stagnation even worse!
Stay hydrated. Listen to your body if it’s tired. Focus on things that will promote blood flow to the injured area. If you need help give me a holler 🙏
Osteopathy and Acupuncture by Monica Ander in Nelson BC 