Pains in the shoulder and lower back in functional disorders, with the exception of those caused by organic lesions, are usually caused by muscle spasm, nonbacterial inflammation and tissue contracture. According to traditional Chinese medicine, these pains are caused by qi stagnation and blood stasis in the meridians and collaterals, which result from the invasion of wind-cold into the shoulders and back.
Sun Simiao, the most famous physician in the Tang Dynasty, wrote in his Qian Jin Yao Fang (One Thousand Golden Prescriptions). "For one with a feeling of coldness in the hands, pat them hot from top to bottom"; "For one feeling coldness in the feet, also pat them hot." That is to say, massage by patting can be used in the treatment of these conditions.
"Heat promotes blood flow" and "cold syndromes should be treated with heat" are general principles in traditional treatment. In other words, blood circulation needs warmth, and the diseases caused by cold should be treated by warmth.
The following four steps of patting designed in accordance with the aforementioned theory are effective for the treatment of pains in the shoulders and lower back.