Low back pain | Sitting for long periods of time can easily lead to bone spurs and sciatica. Chinese medicine teaches you to drink 1 soup of water to prevent joint abrasion and inflammation.

March 7, 2023

It's common for urban dwellers to experience back pain, especially working professionals. Due to work-related strain, joint pain is almost inevitable. These types of pain often lead to the formation of bone spurs. Are bone spurs and the pain they cause really so terrifying and unavoidable?

Registered Chinese Medicine Practitioner Zhang Yong states that Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has a systematic prevention and treatment plan for bone spurs, particularly in improving cases caused by degeneration, where the therapeutic effect is most significant.

Bone Spurs and Back Pain: What are Bone Spurs?

Registered Chinese Medicine Practitioner Zhang Yong explains that bone spurs can be understood as the aging of bones. When the cartilage between bones undergoes prolonged wear and tear, dehydration, and degeneration, it can lead to abnormal bone proliferation, forming "bone spurs."
If they compress or rub against other bones, ligaments, tendons, nerves, or other soft tissues, they can cause wear and tear and pain.
The most common areas where bone spurs appear include the spine, shoulders, hands, knees, and foot joints. Back pain is a very common case.
Bone spurs occurring in different areas can cause varying degrees and types of discomfort. Symptoms in the affected area can include soreness, numbness, sharp pain, throbbing pain, and weakness.

Do only older people get bone spurs?

Dr. Zhang Yong further indicates that bone spurs are a phenomenon of aging, so they generally occur in middle-aged and elderly individuals. The older a person is, the more likely they are to develop bone spurs.

Diverse Symptoms of Bone Spurs: Careful Identification

Even for individuals with bone spurs, not everyone experiences pain or discomfort. Why is that?
According to Dr. Zhang Yong, the reason is that most bone spurs do not cause symptoms, and many people are unaware they have them.

TCM Treatment for Bone Spurs/Back Pain: A Comprehensive Plan

Dr. Zhang Yong states that not all bone spurs require treatment; it depends on the location of the bone spur and its impact on the body.
TCM treatment for bone spurs primarily involves acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine.

Prevention/Relief for Bone Spurs/Back Pain: Dietary Therapy and Acupressure

Dr. Zhang Yong emphasizes that bone spurs are related to bone and joint degeneration. Therefore, daily prevention and delaying joint deterioration are crucial to avoid bone proliferation leading to bone spurs.